The Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) has released a new paper from Brittany Andrew-Amofah, Alexandra Flynn and Patricia Wood setting out a path to make municipal governance more democratic, accountable, and inclusive. The authors argue that municipalities need to incorporate social equity and explicit race-based lenses into their decision-making and reimagine governance practices.

Their recommendations for better public participation include:

• Introducing high standards for public engagement with inclusivity benchmarks and accountability measures;
• Having methods for the public to set the agenda other than through councillors, such as neighbourhood governance structures;
• Designing consultation for dialogue, going beyond merely informing the community, and strategizing to defuse conflict and encourage listening;
• Going where people are through ‘pop-up’ consultations at public markets, libraries, coffee shops, and midnight basketball games; and
• Ensuring accessibility to allow for meaningful inclusion by holding evening meetings with meals and childcare, and providing stipends to stakeholders who are otherwise unrepresented.

One page summary
Full Paper: A New Agenda for Local Democracy: Building Just, Inclusive, and Participatory Cities