This article recently appeared in the Fall 2014 edition of Plan Canada, a quarterly magazine published by the Canadian Institute of Planners. The article was written by PlaceSpeak director Ken Cameron and Jacint Simon.
Plumbing Public Values
Greater Vancouver’s 40 years’ experience with regional public attitude surveys.
This article summarizes the Greater Vancouver region’s unique 40 years of experience with comprehensive region-wide opinion surveys and evaluates the significance of this experience for planning practice. Each of the three comparable surveys conducted in 1973, 1990 and 2012 has had a significant impact on regional planning and public dialogue. The survey results help to identify what has (and has not) changed in public attitudes and values through a period of rapid population growth and growing diversity in Canada’s third largest urban region. The authors briefly describe and evaluate criticisms o the online method through which the 2012 survey was conducted and conclude the article with an assessment of the value of longitudinal data for planning practice.