Following its launch in January 2016 Exeter City Futures undertook a range of different public engagement activities to gain insight into the problems facing the city. The purpose of this initial phase of engagement was to ensure that the voices of Exeter’s citizens were heard when refining the scope of the project into two key areas.
Starting with the Have Your Say Survey in January, and culminating in Visions of the Future in July, almost 2,000 responses were gathered that reflected significant issues citizens were facing. These responses were then analysed and trends identified which helped us define our scope and the goal of zero congestion and energy independence by 2025.
In September Exeter City Futures Community was launched which gave citizens the chance to share insights and problems within the areas of zero congestion and energy independence. Following a Challenge Definition Workshop and public voting this most recent feedback will result in the first set of clear challenges in our innovation programme. These challenges will be opened up to entrepreneurs, SMEs, and educators to solve in 2017.
Here are the key findings from our two major engagement activities:
- 38% of respondents are concerned about traffic-related issues
- 50% of concerns raised through our White Discs were related to: energy, recycling, planning, leisure and culture, investment and economy and health and wellbeing
- 38% of Have Your Say respondents have lived in Exeter for over 20 years
- 30.5% of Have Your Say respondents love Exeter’s location
- 87% of Have Your Say respondents think that the city’s plans for the next 10 years should build on progress
Other key engagement activities included a poetry competition, seminar events, and Visions of the Future.
Read the full report for more information about these activities and our key findings.