Public Engagement in Environmental Planning

As in all areas of government, there is a requirement and a duty to have transparency in the decisions made concerning public policy and planning.  In any area of government work there is not a requirement for the public to be fully informed on the issue in order to participate in the process of public decision making.  It is ridiculous to debate whether environmental planners should or should not engage the public when they know that the public's knowledge is limited on environmental issues.  It is, however, relevant and necessary to debate how and to what extend environmental policy makers are infusing public participation in the development and implementation of environmental programs.  Often the public is only involved once the structure of a program or policy has been created.  At this time, environmental planners and those involved within the government have already developed a sense of ownership and are not as open to re-evaluating their policy.  It is the public manager's duty to involve citizens in the process of program formulation in the beginning in order to develop a sense of awareness within the community.  If the public does not feel as if they are included in the process, the public trust will greatly dissipate, resulting in unsuccessful environmental programs in the long run.