Logan Voss
High citizen engagement is important to all government officials. When citizens interact, officials can improve the community and create open lines of communication. If you’re a member of your local government, check out these smart ways to improve citizen engagement.
Provide Easy-To-Use Platforms for Communication
When people want to interact with local government, they want a quick and easy way to send information to officials. By providing easy-to-use platforms such as messaging apps or digital submission forms, officials can improve citizen engagement. So, instead of waiting for town hall meetings, citizens can address their concerns through digital platforms.
Nurture and Follow Through With Ideas
Another smart way to improve citizen engagement is to nurture and follow through with ideas. Of course, encouraging public feedback is important, but it’s also essential to use discourse to improve the community. For example, if citizens complain about limited parking in specific areas, government officials can create effective solutions and provide a reasonable timeline of what to expect. An official could say, “We’re opening a parking lot on Thatcher Street, and we expect to break ground next month and complete the project within four weeks.”
Boost Participation in Activities
Boosting participation is a fantastic way to engage citizens. Whether officials advertise service opportunities, implement crowdfunding, or encourage people to attend events, increasing participation will bring citizens together and allow them to interact with each other. Government officials have the opportunity to engage with citizens and talk about future plans for the community. And a quick way to gain participation is through offering incentives. For example, officials can give attendees gift cards to local restaurants or prizes for attending activities.
Improve Public Spaces
Quality public spaces are open to everyone and easily accessible. Government officials can instantly enhance engagement by improving various public spaces. From repairing old park benches to offering different types of bike parking options, officials can improve spaces to fit citizens’ needs. Doing so will encourage citizens to venture off into public spaces and consider these places for activity and event settings.
