Yurbanism: PlaceSpeak is Bringing Public Consultation Online

Local urbanist, Yuri Artibise, featured PlaceSpeak on his blog today.  Here’s a excerpt:

Introducing PlaceSpeak

While SeeClickFix and FixMyStreet are the big kids on the City 2.0 block, there is a new generation of that are taking online civic-engagement to another level. One of these is based right here in Vancouver.

PlaceSpeak is an online community-consultation platform that connects people’s online identities to the real world using a their residential addresses. It provides a platform that enables and encourages inclusive, informed participation, policy and decision-making.

A New Consultation Paradigm

What makes PlaceSpeak unique is the potential to transform the way we interact with “location-based issues.” The platform enables conversations relative to proximity by facilitating genuine online communication based on where we live. Founder and CEO Colleen Hardwick (Nystedt) wanted to find a way to improve upon the current consultation process.

This process is often characterized by poorly attended public meetings which leaves many residents feeling under-consulted. Hardwick hopes that PlaceSpeak will help act as a modern remedy by providing another opportunity to connect and comment on issues important to them. As she told the Georgia Straight in a recent interview:

“People are more apt to go online than to go out, especially at 7 o’clock on a weeknight.”

Read the whole post here.

Note: Yuri is a member of the PlaceSpeak team. He wrote this post on his own volition and was not compensated for doing so.