The Shift to Online Engagement: Exploring Online Engagement Platforms and Tools

Public engagement is a crucial part to a public project as it gives citizens the opportunity to become involved in the decision-making process as well as provide decision-makers with valuable information from those impacted by the project. How the public is involved and when is crucial to those participating earning trust and supporting the project. Over the course of 2020, how people engaged on urban planning projects evolved quickly and drastically due to the surge of the COVID-19 virus. Prior to this time, most public engagement sessions were held in person as this allowed the public to connect with subject matter experts and engage with the people who could initiate the changes they were suggesting. However, following the global outbreak of the virus, the ability to bring people together in a common space disappeared while the online rooms appeared. With platforms such as Zoom and Bang the Table making it possible for “in person” meetings to continue, have they allowed for effective public engagement to take place? This article explores the number of tools that are required to host effective online engagement as well as compare the activities that can take place in-person to their online counterpart.