The Reality TV Approach to Public Participation

From the University of Kansas press release:

"More specifically, planners can use reality TV to create "ethical spectacles' that draw attention to planning issues while creating democratic two-way dialogues with the public.

'Community planners historically have struggled to pull people away from the TV to attend an evening meeting about a community project,' said Bonnie Johnson, assistant professor of urban planning at KU. 'But new technologies mean planners don’t necessarily have to pull people away from the TV; rather, they can use TV to engage citizens. Moreover, planners who make these planning processes more like reality TV — rather than the standard town hall, C-Span-style meeting — have a better chance of increasing citizen participation.'"