IAP2 International Annual Conference

Top 10 Reasons to Attend the IAP2 International Annual Conference in San Diego on September 21 – 23, 2009:

1. Opportunity to network with your peers
2. Quality programming, more than 70 presentations
3. State-of-the-industry topics – Keep current on P2 trends
4. Economical – budget-friendly. Take advantage of early bird registration. Airfares are at historic lows, check www.kayak.com or www.wholesaleflights.com and any of the major airlines web sites
5. Pre-conference training available
6. Bring the family and take advantage of low off-season specials on all the attractions
7. Interesting field trips and movies
8. Invest in yourself, your career, your industry and your future
9. Core Values Awards Dinner
10. Variety of convenient sessions (1 and 2-hour)

Making Sustainable Decisions, Theme of 2009
International Association for Public Participation International Conference

How do you make sustainable decisions? The answer to this and other thought provoking questions are part of the 17th Annual International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Conference to be held in San Diego, CA, September 21-23, 2009. During this three-day conference held at the Westin San Diego on Broadway, more than 70 presentations, a keynote luncheon and trade show exhibitors will explore the many facets of sustainable decision-making. Conference sessions are geared for beginner, intermediate, and advanced practitioners in public participation. Here are some highlights of topics and presenters:

• Marine Protection presented by Peter Halmay, co-chair of the Fisherman’s Working Group in San Diego
• Facebook: Fad or Future? presented by Martin J. Cowling, People First – Total Solutions
• Community Forums presented by Janet D. Fiero, Ph.D. & Jesse Sostrin, Ph.D., AmericaSpeaks
• Sustainable Conversations presented by DeAnna Martin, Center for Wise Democracy
• Outreaching Partnering in Africa presented by Claire R. Mendelsohn, US Air Force Western
• Regional Environmental Office
• Dare to Dream! Exploring a New Era of Public Engagement presented by Sandy Heierbacher, National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation, Myriam Laberge and Brenda Chaddock, Masterful Facilitation Institute

Registration is now open for the conference at www.iap2.org. Early bird conference cost for members is $560 and cost for non members $660. “The 2009 IAP2 conference will provide the opportunity to discuss the multiple facets of sustainability. In a kind of double entendre, we want to explore the state of the art both in terms of how to make decisions that reflect sustainability principles, as well as, how to make decisions that are themselves “sustainable,” IAP2 President Anne Pattillo.

For more information about the International Association for Public Participation and the conference, visit www.iap2.org or call 800.644.4273.

Check this out! http://www.spatial.redlands.edu/toolsgallery/

The Redlands Institute has developed an interactive tool gallery with various technology tools that can be used to support the work we do. Browse the technology tools by category (listed on the left side), and/or to select a subset of tools by clicking on one or more faceted search filter tabs on the right side. Move the cursor over each tool for a short description, or click on the tool to see a detailed description that includes links to the tool's website, screenshots, and videos.

If you would like to add a tool to this catalog, please submit a request to ecrsubmit@spatial.redlands.edu with the following information about the tool:

§ tool name and version

§ tool website URL

§ tool description (one line, and one paragraph versions)

§ tool category (for category browsing)

§ tool tags (for faceted search filtering)

§ tool screenshot(s) (optional; URLs or small image files)

§ tool video(s) (optional; URLs)

If you have any questions about how to submit a new tool, contact Stephen Daugherty at the Redlands Institute,(909) 748 - 8464.

Correcting Misperceptions

I caught this interview awhile back on National Public Radio's "On the Media" program. I found it very interesting. The researcher's punchline is that it is close to impossible to change peoples' perceptions once they have formed opinions. Offering contradictory information didn't work and sometimes backfires! I thought you might be interested. From what I can tell, most of his work has been around concepts related to global climate change and weapons of mass destruction, but, I doubt it matters that much what the subject matter is.

http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2009/07/03/01

At our fall 2008 conference, we had a presentation from Daren Brabham, a doctoral candidate at the U of U, on crowd-sourcing. Here is an example of an interesting way this idea is being applied in a transit project.


CONTACT: Annie Maxfield, public relations manager
Cell: (206) 788-6418
E-mail: NextStopDesign@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 5, 2009

Federally-Funded Online Bus Stop Design Contest Launches

Next Stop Design leverages collective intelligence of online communities for public good

Next Stop Design, an experiment to design a bus stop collaboratively on the Web, officially launches today at www.NextStopDesign.com. Visitors to the Web site can register for free to submit designs and ideas about their ideal bus stop. Visitors can then rate and comment on the designs of their peers, and the highest rated bus stop designs may eventually be built as real bus stops in Utah. The contest runs through the summer, and the highest rated designer(s) will be recognized as inspiration for the stop on a plaque next to the new bus stop on the University of Utah business loop.

Next Stop Design is a study conducted by University of Utah researchers, in cooperation with the Utah Transit Authority and funded by a grant from the U.S. Federal Transit Administration. The project seeks to develop innovative ways to increase public participation in transit planning. Using the Web to harness the collective intelligence of online communities and the “wisdom of crowds,” Next Stop Design hopes to generate more, diverse, and higher quality bus stop designs in a way that complements traditional public participation methods.

For more information, including details about the project, backgrounders, and related resources, visit www.NextStopDesign.com/press.