Abstract Manager

Transportation planning often involves a wide range of experts. Many types of projects require diverse input, ranging from a parking policy that needs input from municipal licensing, a major sports event that needs to account for transit scheduling lead times, or a transportation demand management plan that is guided by researchers. Meaningfully engaging stakeholders or interested parties is critical to a successful transportation project.

Effective stakeholder engagement requires engaging (1) the right people, (2) at the right time, (3) the right way. There are many methods and decisions to be made: Virtual or in-person? Working groups or topic-specific meetings? Set explicit participatory expectations or keep engagement casual?

There are project risks when stakeholder engagement is not meaningful. Disengaged stakeholders lead to meeting silences and wasted time, and there are many ways stakeholders can lose interest. For example: content that is too technical can alienate non-technical attendees; re-iterating “knowns” can make attendees shift their focus to answering emails instead of being engaged; and not finding the right balance of ownership and responsibility of tasks between meeting chair and participants can stall momentum and leave tasks unfinished.

This presentation will discuss strategies for collaborating across disciplines to build relationships in support of successful projects and future capacity-building across the industry. Examples will be drawn from consultant work for the City of Toronto, Toronto Parking Authority, and a U of T research organization, with reference to the Bike Share Four-year Growth Plan, City of Toronto City-Wide Parking Strategy, FIFA World Cup 2026, and Cycling Indicators Development.

Lessons learned will cover: finding shared priorities and principles, designing working groups and the power of iteration, facilitation approaches, keeping momentum, empowering collaboration, setting expectations, and working with non-profit stakeholders.

This session will leave attendees with implementable strategies for stronger stakeholder engagement for all types of transportation projects across Canada.