The City of Peoria has long dedicated itself to providing its residents with an excellent standard of living, which is reflected in its general planning documents, including its Sustainability Action Plan and Livability Initiatives. As a growing community, continuing to engage residents with its planning and information sharing is pertinent to maintaining its livability. Continually engaging with the public is essential for any municipality, and community engagement strategies seek to engage its residents in planning processes.
Given the recent shocks to the community with COVID-19, Peoria’s Office of Communication strives to reach all Peoria residents with community activities like public engagement processes, public safety updates, and much more. In order to better communicate with its residents, the City is interested in identifying its “hard-to-reach” residents to design strategies for reaching these populations.
In the fall 2021 semester, students from the JUS 456 Human Rights & Sustainability course met with Peoria staff to interview them about sustainability initiatives in the City and how the community was engaged during those processes. Student topic areas were based on topics from the Peoria Sustainability Town Halls hosted in spring 2021. Students were asked to watch the Town Halls before meeting with the City staff so they could ask questions through a series of virtual interviews. Students analyzed the interviews to write a report of their reflections and recommendations for the City of Peoria. The students’ findings were then used to inform the project scope.
The student research intends to provide Peoria with additional ways to communicate to Peoria’s residents. Students recommend expanding Peoria’s communication methods, including social media or through a neighborhood app. Additionally, survey results revealed that residents would like expanded community services, such as childcare and financial resources. By expanding its reach to all Peoria residents, the City of Peoria can carefully consider how to engage community members further to inform its planning efforts.