Exploring New Technology: Results of the Oak Hill Parkway Virtual Open House Pilot

State planning and transportation agencies continually face the escalating problem of increasing needs, coupled with limited financial resources to meet those needs. In this difficult environment, the importance of meaningfully involving the public in the decisions that shape the future of our cities and regions becomes even more amplified. Proactively working with the public to gain buy-in from the early stages of the planning process is one of the most effective strategies to reduce project costs. The Oak Hill Parkway project in Austin, Texas, provided a unique opportunity to test a new and innovative method to engage the public. This pilot project tested the effectiveness of re-creating a traditional open house in a virtual or online setting in order to provide additional opportunities for engagement and to understand what role emerging technology will play in the engagement process. This report documents the Oak Hill Parkway Virtual Open House (VOH) pilot effort conducted in May 2013. This document consists of the following sections: Project Overview and Objectives, Site Overview, Public Involvement Plan, Description of Traditional and Virtual Open House, Duties during the VOH, Virtual Open House Development Background, Traditional and Virtual Open House Data Results, Analysis of Evaluation Data Results for the VOH, and Lessons Learned. It also contains an appendix with user comments for the May 24 and May 28 open houses.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; Photos; Tables;
  • Pagination: 91p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01600205
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: May 26 2016 9:21AM