The organization representing the state’s Metropolitan Planning Organizations has recognized the public involvement activities of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission as being exemplary across Indiana.
In a ceremony during the Indiana MPO Council’s annual conference, whose theme was “Linking Transportation with Community,” NIRPC was presented with the award for Outstanding Public Involvement for its outreach activities related to NWI 2050 and Engage NWI – plans for Northwest Indiana that incorporated non-traditional outreach activities including surveys, workshops, and “pop-up” events across the region.
“The traditional public meeting, where we ask people to come to us, has not been very helpful for getting a true variety of perspectives,” said Ty Warner, NIRPC’s Executive Director. “Instead, NIRPC staff developed a fun and interactive way of engaging the region’s residents by going to events across Northwestern Indiana where people already are.”
NWI 2050 is the long-range plan for Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties and was adopted in May of this year. Engage NWI is NIRPC’s plan for public participation, serving as a guide to enable the public to engage with regional planning. Engage NWI was adopted in August.
Both documents can be viewed at www.NIRPC.org.
