Tech Solutions to Planning’s Participation Problems

In an effort to lower the barrior to entry for participation in local planning, developers have created a mobile application called CitySwipe. "CitySwipe presents local residents with images of potential scenarios and simple yes/no questions, encouraging people to swipe through the options, as if assessing prospective partners," Oliver Wainwright writes for the Guardian. The program takes its basic mechanic from dating app Tinder. While some may complain that this approach dumbs down the process too much, others suggest that this process makes it easier to participate in debates that many would miss. "It makes the consultation process effortless, compared with the usual feedback mechanisms of filling in lengthy mailed-out response forms, downloading wordy PDFs, or being accosted by a chirpy volunteer with a clipboard," Wainwright writes.