The document discusses how crowdsourcing and crowdfunding could revolutionize public participation in urban planning and real estate development. Traditional public participation methods often result in low attendance or domination by louder voices, failing to represent the complete community. The document explores how open crowdsourcing models could engage more of the community and obtain diverse input. It also examines how crowdfunding could democratize investment and reduce costs. The future may see greater use of these new approaches to make public participation more inclusive and effective.

1. Crowdsourcing and Crowdfunding
Revolutionizing Public Participation in Urban Planning and
Real Estate Development?

2. Damon Orobona
Miller, Miller & Canby
damon@mmcanby.com
Ben Miller
Popularise; Fundrise
ben@fundrise.com
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

3. Damon Orobona
Miller, Miller & Canby
damon@mmcanby.com
Ben Miller
Popularise; Fundrise
ben@fundrise.com
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

4. Damon Orobona
Miller, Miller & Canby
damon@mmcanby.com
Ben Miller
Popularise; Fundrise
ben@fundrise.com
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

5. Damon Orobona
Miller, Miller & Canby
damon@mmcanby.com
Ben Miller
Popularise; Fundrise
ben@fundrise.com
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

6. Damon Orobona
Miller, Miller & Canby
damon@mmcanby.com
Ben Miller
Popularise; Fundrise
ben@fundrise.com
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

7. Public Participation Context
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

8. The Age-Old Urban Planning Challenge:
How can we reach large numbers of
people and allow them to effectively
engage in meaningful citizen participation
without slowing down the process?
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

9. Sherry Arnstein’s Ladder
of Participation (1969)
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

10. Three Perspectives on Participation
Perspective Justification Examples
Normative Part of ideal of Pateman (1970)
citizenship & Mansbridge (1983)
democracy
Substantive Needed for good Fung (2006)
plans & policies:
ideas, knowledge,
views
Instrumental Required to resolve Burby (2003)
problems, achieve Susskind (1987)
acceptance
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A
4"

11. Today, Two Typical Outcomes in the Participatory Process
1. Very little (or no)
participation, which is not
representative of the
community; or
1. Involvement, but louder
voices dominate the
discussion in community
meetings. “Squeaky wheel
gets the grease.”
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

12. Little Attendance = Unrepresentative of Complete Community
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

13. Opposition More Vocal than Supporters = Unrepresentative of Complete Community
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

14. “We’ve tainted the process by not
understanding that the [immediate]
neighbors are a special interest… they
are not the community.” – Andres
Duany
The Status Quo has led to a Debate regarding the Importance of Public Participation
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

15. “New mechanisms were devised [in the 1960s]
to empower ordinary citizens to shape and
guide the planning process… I can think of no
other profession that has done anything quite
like [this]. Imagine economists at the Federal
Reserve holding community meetings and polls
to decide the direction of fiscal policy. Imagine
public health officials giving equal weight to the
nutritional wisdom of teenagers- they are
stakeholders, after all!... This is why it is a fools
errand to rely upon citizens to guide the
planning process. Forget for a moment that
most folks lack the knowledge and expertise to
make intelligent decisions about the future of
our cities. Most people are too busy, too
apathetic, or too focused on their jobs or kids to
be moved to action over planning issues unless
those issues are at their doorstep. And once an
issue is at the doorstep, fear sets in and reason
and rationality fly out the window. So the very
citizens least able to make objective decisions
about planning action are the ones who end up
dominating the planning process…”
The Status Quo has led to a Debate regarding the Importance of Public Participation
-Tom Campanella, Department Chair, UNC
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

16. Montgomery County is currently rewriting its zoning code (so is DC and many others)
Multiple community meetings and public hearings required in the existing state of affairs
One of the major comments given to improve planning and zoning processes is to streamline –
not to remove, but to make more efficient – the public participation process
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

17. Compare the American Experience with that of China
“To visit China today as an
American is to compare and to
be compared… with enough
cheap currency, labor, and
capital – and authoritarianism –
you can build anything in nine
months.” – Thomas
Friedman, New York Times
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

18. Dongting Lake, China, December 2011
[Video clip removed. Not supportable on SlideShare.]
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

19. Shanghai, China, June 2009
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

20. Audience Snap Poll
A. The process is fine as it is. We are effectively reaching the community.
The speed of accomplishing planning projects is swift and nimble.
A. Public participation (and public process in general) is overrated. We
don’t need the community’s input. We should be able to build
anything in 90 days.
B. We need to rethink public participation to make it more inclusive and
effective.
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

21. Crowdsourcing
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

22. What is crowdsourcing?
Utilizing the benefits of mass collaboration
(not to mention sheer volume of workers) to
reach a desired outcome.
- About.com
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

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28. Benefits of Crowdsourcing
Open vs. Closed Model
Open Closed
Community Engagement Broad Narrow
# of People Involved 1000s 10s
Amount of Input & Ideas More Less
Data Quantitative Subjective
Community Buy-In Representative Random
1. Better decision-making
2. Engaged community
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

29. Crowdfunding
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

30. What is crowdfunding?
The funding of a company by selling small
amounts of equity to many investors.
- Wikipedia
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

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36. Benefits of Crowdfunding
Democratize Investment
Online Direct Investment
1. Cuts out middlemen: lowers cost of capital
2. Real people invested: increases social capital
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

37. What Does the Future Hold?
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

38. [Video clip removed. Not supportable on SlideShare.]
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A

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40. Questions?
Introduction Public Participation Context Crowdsourcing Crowdfunding The Future Q&A