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Implementing Public Engagement

Levels of Public Participation

There are five equally important levels of participation that staff can use to define the public’s role in a project’s process: inform, consult, involve, collaborate and empower. Staff should implement the level of participation that best suits the project’s unique needs. Choosing a level of public participation is an important step of the Steps for Conducting Effective Public Participation because it helps staff set expectations and provides transparency for the public about their role in a project. Defining a level of participation allows the public to understand to what degree their input can influence project decisions. For the inform, consult, involve and collaborate levels of public participation, the City is the final decision-maker.

Illustration depicting the five levels of public participation: Inform, Consult, Involve, Collaborate and Empower

Figure 1. Public Participation Levels Wheel, adapted from
IAP2 Public Participation Spectrum.

Inform

  • The inform level of public participation is used to provide the public information about a project so that they can understand key details like what is happening, when and why.
  • Examples:
    • The Environmental Services Department informed the public about the Organic Waste Recycling Program to help San Diegans understand how to recycle organic waste, using in-person and virtual information sessions. This program was required by California Senate Bill 1383.
    • The City created flyers and social media posts to increase awareness about the Get It Done app. The app helps people report problems related to City infrastructure and the public right-of-way, obtain information about City services and schedule appointments for services like passport renewal or household hazardous waste disposal.

The consult, involve, and collaborate levels below all include following up with the public about how their input influenced decisions.

Consult

  • The consult level of public participation is used to collect feedback about different project alternatives, options or decisions. This level of public participation is typically conducted when there are constraints or parameters in the decision-making process that necessitate pre-defined options.
  • Examples:
    • The Transportation Department held public meetings and used a survey to consult the public for the Utilities Undergrounding Program. Due to precise design parameters and regulations regarding buffer space, staff presented the public with pre-defined location alternatives for the placement of utility boxes, pedestals and transformers. The public ranked their prioritization of the presented underground locations at the meetings and through the survey.
    • The City Planning Department uses the Infrastructure Priorities Survey to consult the public on City infrastructure priorities and improvement ideas. Members of the public can rank their desired prioritization of infrastructure categories and suggest project ideas to the City. This project falls under the consult level because the City must factor in additional considerations besides public input when prioritizing these projects such as budgetary constraints, project readiness, project feasibility, legal compliance and alignment with adopted plans.

Involve

  • The involve level of public participation is used to work with the public throughout the engagement process to ensure that public input is understood, considered and helps shape the decision-making process.
  • Examples:
    • The City Planning Department involves community planning groups and members of the public in the development of a community plan update to see that the plans reflect ideas and feedback shared by community members. The City Planning Department works with community planning groups and members of the public throughout the update process by providing opportunities for visioning, sharing potential alternatives and soliciting feedback after publishing drafts.
    • The Small Business Advisory Board strategized with City staff about how they can support small businesses’ public safety and maintain successful business environments. The Economic Development Department presented the board with a draft document of safety resources. Over several rounds of feedback and edits, the board and Economic Development Department published the final Safety Resource Toolkit for Small Businesses. Board members shared the toolkit with the business community to help small businesses keep their employees and customers safe.

Collaborate

  • The collaborate level of public participation is used to partner with the public on each aspect of the decision-making process (defining the scope of the issue and potential solutions) and incorporate their recommendations into decisions as much as possible.
  • Examples:
    • The City Planning Department collaborated with five community-based organizations to develop the City’s General Plan Environmental Justice Element. At the beginning of the development of the Environmental Justice Element, the community-based organizations spoke with community members to identify the scope of their priorities related to environmental justice. Additionally, these community-based organizations identified opportunities to coordinate programs, co-conducted engagement to gather public input and advised staff on policy to advance environmental justice.
    • The Department of Information Technology collaborated with community members, small businesses and local organizations in the San Diego Promise Zone to increase access to the internet. San Diego Promise Zone community partners informed staff of challenging experiences locating internet at coffee shops and in public spaces. In response, the City hosted a series of workshops where community members and community-based organizations in historically underserved neighborhoods established principles for the City’s Public Wi-Fi program and identified desired sites for new services. The Department of Information Technology considered this input and installed new public Wi-Fi hotspots at the 19 sites recommended in the workshops as part of their SD Access 4 All initiative.

Empower

  • The empower level of public participation is when the public directly decides the outcome for projects. Currently, the City most frequently empowers community members through voting, but the empower level of participation may be used in other ways for future projects.
  • Examples:
    • In 2008, San Diego voters approved Proposition D to make alcohol consumption unlawful at City beaches, Mission Bay Park and coastal parks, resulting in an amendment to the Municipal Code to ban alcohol consumption at City beaches, Mission Bay Park and coastal parks.
    • In 2022, San Diego voters approved Measure C to authorize the exclusion of the Midway-Pacific Highway community plan area from the 30-foot height limit, which resulted in the City adopting this exception to allow future projects to exceed 30 feet in height.
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