Community Engagement and Public Consultation through an Inclusive and Participatory Design

Public participation is designed to increase civic participation and engagement in local governance. The planning process has been increasingly participatory and collaborative in recent years; however, it has not been the most inclusive and equitable process. Planners and local councillors play a significant role in promoting and creating spaces for engagement and participation with vulnerable and marginalized populations. This research examines the City of Toronto’s outreach and engagement methods and tools that engage with the public and analyzes design and implementation through a case study, TOcore: Planning Downtown. The City of Toronto is one of the most diverse and multicultural cities in the world. As a result, their community engagement and public consultation must be equitable and inclusive of historically excluded and seldom heard in the planning process. A review of methods and programs of the City of Toronto was conducted, followed by six semi-structured interviews, and finally, scans of scholarly articles were employed. The research also provided an alternative lens to community building and engagement through a case study in San Francisco. The research analysis suggests an equitable and trauma-informed community building be incorporated and integrated within the engagement process.