Public Engagement

At CUDA Studio, we believe public participation is essential to building strong communities. We prefer to engage citizens when creating urban design plans, public spaces, land use regulations, and community efforts of other types. We value the input of residents, business owners, community leaders, and policy makers in shaping a vision for a community’s future, and we know how to keep community discussions focused, productive, and result-driven.

Community Engagement can take multiple formats and be undertaken in a range of scales, but it can’t be just a token sentiment. 

Wide ranging surveys from the broadest audience can be achieved with Internet-based polling and engagement software.  Those survey questions must be carefully crafted to gather the most information about properly focused issues.  Narrower ranging efforts can include small workshops, stakeholder group interviews, and even one-on-one meetings.

Sometimes the most effective method of connection is the simplest, like setting up tables and booths outside a local coffee shop or simply meeting with key stakeholders. Public workshops can be single-day events, or multi-day sessions that take place over several weeks or even months. No matter what format, the preparation prior to – and adept facilitation during – the effort are essential. The most productive community engagement requires visually stimulating graphics which display a community’s current realities as well as aspirational graphics which show its potential.

Jeff Raser, of CUDA Studio, has led teams of designers in a wide range of public engagement efforts.  From single-day stakeholder group sessions to 5-day long public charrettes attended by hundreds of people, Jeff has ushered the creation of over 20 master plans, strategic plans, and the design of numerous public parks and civic gathering places.