(Answered) V450 Engaging the Public in Governance

Reimagine the Canals Initiative

  1. Location

Reimagine the canals project was proposed to renovate the Erie canal in New York.

  1. Issues Addressed

The canal was to be renovated to boost local businesses, foster tourism, and ease transport. The task force mandated with delivering the project saw the importance of engaging the members of the public as they were the major stakeholders (Fox, 2019). As a result, the team charged with ensuring the project was executed successfully commissioned the Rockefeller Institute of Government (RIG) and other related institutions to steer the public engagement process.

  1. Public Engagement Process
  1. The task force devised meeting formats intended to maximize public participation. The members of the public were encouraged to share their views, whether small or big to determine a common ground for ushering the Erie canal into the 21st century (Vallelunga, 2019). Upon arrival, the members who registered for the meetings were introduced to the project through visual aids in an art gallery.
  2. A data collection mechanism was built into the art gallery as the participants were encouraged to fill a postcard about the canal. On the postcard, they were required to state how they were currently using the canal and how they imagined the canal’s future, from the chart displays and their creativity.
  3. The task force created about eight groups and fitted them with discussion themes from tourism to transport. The teams then broke off to brainstorm on the topics they were handed. The participants wrote their ideas on sticky notes, and the group decided which idea had more potential.
  1. Re imagine the Canals Initiative was announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo on 17th May 2019 (Re-imagine the Canal Task Force, 2019).

 

Final Research Paper Content Headings

  • Thesis

Re-imagine the canal initiative is an epitome of how the incorporation of members of the public in government projects is essential. This research paper will delve into how the task force charged with delivering the project facilitated the public engagement process.

  • Case Description

Chaired by the RIG, the public engagement task force organized five meetings to discuss the prospects of the canal. The meetings were scheduled to take place in over three weeks in July 2019, and the members of the public, together with community stakeholders, were given a chance to share their opinions on the subject matter.

  • Analysis and Findings

Public engagement in the re-imagine the canal initiative was the cornerstone of its success. The input of members of the public (who were to be affected by the project) led to the development of feasible terms of engagement and facilitated the successful implementation of the project.

  • Recommendations

All future government projects should always involve the members of the public to facilitate their development and implementation.

Solution

The Erie canal had served the people of New York for decades since its construction in 1825. However, over the years, the state’s needs have changed, and the canal needed to be ushered into the 21st century. In May 2019, New York’s governor Andrew Cuomo announced that he would formulate a task force that would oversee the Erie canal modification to meet the needs of the 21st century New Yorkers. From his speech, it was clear that the modifications had to be concurrent with New York’s citizens’ expectations. Therefore, the formulated task force was mandated to engage the members of the public in developing canal modification designs in line with their needs. The task force was comprised of community leaders and canal experts who developed a framework to address the canal’s challenges and the opportunities the modification presents. This paper will review the public engagement process that the task-force undertook to bring the project to life.

Case Description

After the May 17th 2019 announcement on the commencement of the Re-imagine the Canals initiative, the task force charged with delivering the project commissioned the Rockefeller Institute of Government (RIG) to facilitate the public engagement process. The public policy think-tank RIG was responsible for collecting data on how the canal system could be modified to suit the canal residents’ needs (Van Ness, 2019)……………………………..To access the rest of the solution for $10, please click on the purchase button.