Crowdsourcing Community Vision: A New Tool for Strategic Planning

In the evolving landscape of master-planned communities, strategic decisions about amenities and infrastructure are traditionally made by a few, often based on assumptions about what residents might want. But what if we could democratize this process and let residents actively shape their community's future?

Our latest paper, "Democratizing Strategic Planning in Master-Planned Communities," presents a cutting-edge tool designed to do exactly that. Using data from brief online surveys, this tool captures residents' preferences on various large-scale projects—whether it's a new park, recreation center, or road expansion. The result? A detailed ranking of potential plans based on anticipated utilization, cost sensitivity, and risk assessment. 

crowdsourcing decision making (created with ImageFX)
created for this post with ImageFX

What makes this tool powerful is its foundation in utility theory, incorporating exponential models to reflect diminishing returns on investments in quality, cost, and risk mitigation. In essence, it helps balance the big question: What will the community value most, and how likely are they to support funding for it?

This innovative approach empowers residents by giving them a meaningful voice in their community’s growth, and it enables planners to make data-driven decisions that reflect the collective will. And it's more than just a tool—it's a step towards more transparent, inclusive, and sustainable planning processes in neighborhoods across the country.

For a deeper dive into this exciting development, check out our latest paper and listen to the podcast on how this strategic planning tool is reshaping the future of planned communities.

The future of happy communities might just be crowdsourced.


REFERENCE

Allsup CK, Gabashvili IS. Democratizing Strategic Planning in Master-Planned Communities. arXiv preprint arXiv:2410.04676 [econ.EM] https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2410.04676

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