Holiday Video: The Problem with Public Hearings

North American planning systems rely heavily on public hearings when making decisions. These usually happen at the end of a review and decision-making process as a capstone prior to final approval, under the guise that a public hearing provides a useful touchpoint in public engagement and vehicle to make decisions. But all too often, public hearings increase costs and time to reach a decision without meaningfully impacting decisions. Uytae Lee of About Here digs into the history of the public hearing and its utility, and whether another paradigm is worth pursuing.