If there’s one thing that we’ve learned from reading and analysing tens of thousands of comments made on city place making and development projects, it’s that not everyone wants the same thing and that is because everyone wants the same thing: to have it their way.
What is the value of social media as a public engagement tool?
What’s the point of community engagement?
Tips to become an influencer (in your community, not on social media)
If you’re wanting to learn how to grow your following on Instagram or negotiate a brand deal for the latest collagen powder, this is probably not the article for you. However, if you’re looking to make a difference in your community and make your voice heard, keep reading!
At Global Research, we analyse submissions for council and government department engagements across New Zealand and Australia, reading and organising every single response into different themes to report them back to the organisation and community. This means that we’ve read tens of thousands of written comments over the past decade. Along the way, we’ve learned a few qualities that make some submissions more useful and easier to deal with than others.
Giving communities a voice: the research story behind He Puna Taimoana New Brighton hot pools
For our grandchildren: an alternative RMA fast-tracking approach
New Zealand is about to embark on its largest infrastructure programme in a generation and the Government has proposed avoiding public input to speed up the delivery of projects. We outline an alternative, which accommodates valuable public input, without delaying delivery and avoiding our children and grandchildren having to live with short-sighted decisions.
Seeing: the importance of infographics
In today’s world, we are so used to having information at our fingertips, accessible from anywhere at any time. You can have any question you want answered in a matter of seconds just by typing it into google. University assignments can be done without even setting foot in a library. Having so much information available to us instantaneously has opened so many opportunities, but it has also made it more difficult to scrutinise the information and find what we are truly after amid the tens of thousands of search results and the constant flow of new information. How can infographics help you reach your audience more effectively?
City of Melbourne: adapting to change
The world looks very different in April 2020 than most of us would have imagined only a couple of months ago. The ways in which our day-to-day lives have changed are innumerable, but it is nice to see that governments and organisations are adapting in these uncertain times, keeping their people safe and their cities moving.
Selecting the best tool: more important than the tool box
The proliferation of cheap online survey software over the last 15 years has meant that now everyone has access to a survey tool box. But a tool box doesn’t automatically lead to success – the most valuable tools in research are your questions, and knowing which question types to use is what can make all the difference.
Don't be afraid to ask open ended questions
Sometimes I talk with organisations that consider it too challenging to ask open questions when seeking feedback from their customers or public. Instead they consider it safer to ask closed, tick the box survey questions.....There is no need to panic though – don’t deploy the life boats just yet! There are solutions available that support an open-ended questioning approach.
City of Melbourne ~ Global Research supporting Future Melbourne’s Stategic Plan
Patrick was in Melbourne recently to initiate analysis of the Future Melbourne 2016 public engagement process. With over 950 ideas posted to the website and 350 surveys completed, this initiative to mould Melbourne’s future is a fantastic example of how modern information capture tools can engage with citizens in a large city.
Lincoln University student experience more than just Jelly Beans!! – having a great time finding out what students want for their campus
Five years on and children are turning Christchurch city’s shared ideas into reality
Share an Idea was an unprecedented initiative which allowed the people of Christchurch to do many things – share, care, gather, dream and look ahead, following the 2011 earthquakes. I remember one of the themes that emerged was a desire to provide children who visit the city with something fun to do, as old central Christchurch had no playgrounds and was pretty sterile for children.
Melbourne’s University Square ~ really enjoyed supporting our Aussie neighbours
It has been great to finish the year with a project for the City of Melbourne, analysing all the comments received on the draft plan for University Square. I caught up with the nice folk at the City when I visited for the World Cup Final earlier in the year.