Adapting Public Engagement to Social Distancing

"COVID-19-related moratoriums on public gatherings have inevitably affected the public engagement process for transit projects. Transportation consultants and advocates are already adapting to keep rider-focused initiatives like bus network redesigns moving forward."

While "Public Engagement in the Era of COVID-19" by TransitCenter focuses on the work of transportation agencies, many of the lessons included in the report are applicable to the wider field of planning. 

Examples from Miami and Dallas inform the insights and recommendations included. The possibility that the pandemic will usher in a new, more powerful, technologically-enabled form of democracy is voiced, as a note of hope for planning agencies challenged by the social distancing realities of the current world.