UK Consult

People everywhere are busy, and it's no different in Parker, Colorado. As part of an initiative to increase the level of community engagement and participation in local issues, Parker officials sought to provide new and innovative ways for their residents to get involved and provide feedback. The town knew that to increase engagement they needed to think outside the box and offer tools that work for Parker's growing community.

In Parker's 2017 citizen survey, the town heard overwhelming resident support for the development of an online community engagement tool. Ninety percent of survey respondents said they were likely to engage in local issues if they could do so online, at a time that was convenient for their schedule.

This support, combined with Parker's drive to increase engagement, led Town officials to create their new engagement portal, Let's Talk Parker, using the EngagementHQ platform. With the goal of gaining ideas, feedback and community support, Parker launched some very creative projects, including Fact or Fiction, My Mainstreet, and even a mapping tool for the community to report traffic issues to the Police Department.

Tune in to this podcast to hear about Parker's journey into online engagement, how Let's Talk Parker is helping cultivate a more informed and engaged community, and the positive impact it's having on town decisions and direction.

Find out how Brisbane South Primary Health Care Network utilised online engagement to develop a Health Needs Assessment.

City of Lakewood has recognized for some time that the traditional model of public meetings fell far short of their responsibility to connect with a representative public. So, when Bang the Table came along with EngagementHQ in late 2016, Lakewood jumped at the chance to join a worldwide community of online engagement.

Hear how Lakewood used EngagementHQ for an extensive nine-month outreach and engagement effort culminating in the delivery of their Lakewood Masterplan.

Resilience has many definitions but all include some reference to an ability to bounce back—be it from something predictable or not, natural or man-made, for better or for worse. Regardless of the subject or application, resilience is about the capacity for, and adjustment to, change. Urban resilience is about a city’s ability to bounce back from change whether the change is anticipated or when city officials and residents are surprised by it.

Hear how City of Boulder used community engagement to build a resilient city strategy.

Barwon Water, based in Geelong, one hour South West of Melbourne, is Victoria’s largest regional urban water corporation, and provides water and sewerage services across 8,100 square kilometres to more than 298,000 customers.

Hear about their approach to engaging communities on water pricing and sustainable water delivery.

In 2016, Richmond School District 38 concluded a 2 year online community engagement project focusing on school closures.

Neighbourhood decline had led to underutilized schools and the Richmond School District 38 had to look at the possibility of school closures and engage their community on this difficult issue.

Hear how Richmond School District used EngagementHQ to engage their communities, keeping them informed and up to date on the changes in the district.

The U.S. Census Bureau determined that Austin was the second-fastest growing U.S. city from 2010-2015 and judging from the construction cranes dotting the city skyline, change is the new norm in the city’s downtown core. The Downtown Austin Alliance is made up of downtown property owners, individuals and businesses devoted to preserving and enhancing the value and vitality of the area. Hear how Austin Alliance worked with EngagementHQ to engage with their community.

Figuring out the best way to get residents involved and participating in local government has been a hot topic in cities across the country. Matthew Crozier from Bang the Table has been doing engagement work around the world and came on GovLove to discuss best practices, how cities can do better and more. Originally featured on Govlove - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/124-citizen-engagement-matthew-crozier-bang-table/id993270804?i=1000385253417&mt=2