New Strategies of Public Involvement by Lew Villotti

Lew Villotti is the Planning & Development Director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC). Villotti described the need for people to get outside the 'comfort zone' that they are used to in public involvement, and explained new strategies and methods of engaging the public. He explained that the old method of public involvement in SPC meetings was traditional where SPC representatives would talk, and people would voice their questions. Now, there is an interactive touch screen survey station where people provide their opinions. SPC had a transportation investment strategy station which was interactive, asking people how they would like to see transportation monies invested. There was still an opportunity to provide testimony, but people put it into a laptop instead. SPC also began involving partners in their public meetings to answer questions on different topics, such as transportation and environmental justice. They encouraged their partners to have interactive visuals to 'show' the public the projects they were working on with maps, pictures, etc. Through these strategies, SPC was able to hear more people than through the traditional method of individuals speaking in front of the room, where some people may dominate the conversation and everyone may not be represented.