Public participation in planning processes is fundamental to creating planning and development design outcomes that are stable and that meet the needs of communities. EMC Planning Group has conducted numerous public outreach programs and facilitated a variety of planning processes. The goal of these activities is always to ensure that all stakeholders who have an interest in planning and development outcomes are given a chance to meaningfully contribute to the outcomes.

EMC Planning Group has worked with numerous jurisdictions to achieve improved coordination with regional, state, and local agencies; property owners; and community members. Public outreach services are catered toward each client and/or jurisdiction’s needs. However, the following is a list of some of the typical public outreach tools we provide:

• Preparation and implementation of comprehensive public outreach plans;
• Stakeholder identification and outreach;
• Public outreach protocol development (including preparation of email notification lists and the identification of key links to community cross sections to facilitate information flow and participation);
• Web-based community questionnaires and surveys;
• Creative and interactive workshop activities;
• Stakeholder interviews;
• Formation of public outreach committees;
• Presentation at public, stakeholder, and inter-departmental workshops;
• Preparation and distribution of newsletters;
• Project specific websites to keep community apprised of developments; and
• Print media and social media coverage.

EMC Planning Group utilizes the public outreach process to inform and react to controversial issues, obtain input and feedback on key concerns, and identify appropriate responses to community needs. These measures can then be combined into a comprehensive response strategy that is incorporated into the project to facilitate project support and success.