Successful Public Outreach Programs for Green Infrastructure Projects

Abstract

Timely, effective and informative communication with the public is becoming necessary for successful GI projects in the public realm. Outreach goals generally include gaining/preserving public trust and helping to educate ratepayers on the benefits of GI in order to help facilitate efforts for easier allocation of funds for future GI projects. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's Sewer System Improvement Program emphasizes public outreach with well-defined goals. The outreach program goals for the Wiggle Neighborhood Green Corridor project included: i) gain support and trust from the community for the proposed improvements; ii) provide transparency for the planning and design of the project while balancing key elements of the project; iii) educate the public about what GI is and its available technologies; iv) hear from the community members on their preferences related to different GI technologies, materials, and locations; and, v) demonstrate an integrated approach to planning and design through a collaboration between SFPUC and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and San Francisco Department of Public Works. As part of the public outreach for the project, the team held three community Open Houses with more than 274 residents attending. SFPUC also used an online survey tool to gather feedback. Overall, between the Open Houses and online tool, more than 1000 people provided input. Additional specific outreach to property owners and residents that live adjacent to GI features was also part of the public outreach program for this project. In the end, public request for integration of GI and traffic calming measures resulted in bulb-out bioretention GI features planned at many locations along the iconic "Wiggle bicycle route." Online and interactive tools proved to be very effective in reaching people who could not attend the in-person meetings, and at the same time delivered a large amount of information in an easily understandable format. In addition, the tools allowed the project team to consider public input while finding the right balance of a variety of priorities and preferences for the project.