Closing the Feedback Loop: How Digital Tools Build Trust in Community Planning
Planners today face a challenge: how to meaningfully engage communities while managing
overwhelming input volumes. Attendees will explore how NYC Planning uses digital tools to
analyze, synthesize, and visualize diverse community input— from post-it notes and
transcripts to digital comments and marked-up maps. They’ll learn about Voice to Vision, a
prototype tool developed with MIT’s Center for Constructive Communication, that helps
planners identify patterns in community narratives and show how feedback influences
decisions. The session demonstrates how storytelling—through words, visuals, and
interactive formats—surfaces community values and creates better, more trusted planning
HOST: Emma Chetuya Ph.D., AICP
MEET THE SPEAKERS:
Closing the Feedback Loop: How Digital Tools Build Trust in Community Planning
Elizabeth Hamby
Elizabeth Hamby is an artist who serves as the Director of Civic Engagement at the NYC Department
of City Planning (DCP).
Jasmin Tepale
Jasmin is the Senior Lead for Community Planning at the NYC Department of City Planning (DCP).