A community-based, regional planning process is possible for a region as large and complex as northeastern Illinois because of the emergence of new technologies that can accommodate the scale of the Common Ground initiative. State of the art technology is allowing Common Ground to reach citizens throughout the six-county region, provide them with meaningful opportunities for dialogue and deliberation, and offer them accessible information about the choices that face the region.

Decision Support Technology

Common Ground has shown the effectiveness of decision-support technology at dozens of different meetings ranging in size from just 30 participants in the smallest of the Leadership and Cluster Workshops to nearly 850 participants at the Regional Forum. At these meetings, community leaders, group representatives, and citizens, including large numbers of youth, used wireless polling keypads and groupware computers to express their opinions and capture their conversations. In post-meeting evaluations, participants were enthusiastic in their support for the use of keypads and computers. These technologies are not only accessible to new users, but also provide instant feedback to participants and produce an immediate digital record of the workshop results.

Interactive Internet Uses

Common Ground is utilizing interactive internet technology to further increase involvement in the regional planning process. Between January and June of 2002, participants in monthly Work Group meetings used an on-line tool called WebCouncil. Participants used the web site to discuss issues and share information with each other between meetings. Individuals were able to communicate with members from other Work Groups that were taking place elsewhere in the region. Common Ground will continue to use interactive internet technologies such as WebCouncil to help build a regional dialogue between the many diverse communities and individuals that exist within this large region.

An online survey was used to allow people to give their input on the Proposed Regional Goals document. Results from this survey are being used to guide further development of the regional plan.

GIS Technology to "Paint the Region"

Common Ground is utilizing customized GIS software to enable participants to “Paint the Region” in the interactive workshops. During the group discussions of priorities regarding land use, transportation and the environment, participants could refer to multiple digital layers showing existing infrastructure and “paint” their desired future on the screen. This generated the best results possible because participants had all the reference information they needed at their fingertips during decision making and made choices understanding the full complexity of the region’s systems. They also utilized innovative keypad technology so that immediate group feedback could be provided about decisions made in each workshop. This customized technology will be used on an ongoing basis as NIPC continues to work with municipalities through the population forecasting process to refine our “desired future” as a region.