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The Berger Team provides integrated expertise to local, state, and federal government agencies; and metropolitan and rural planning organizations in the interconnected fields of land use, economics, environmental and transportation planning. Berger’s planning services can help clients guide development and ensure that maximum benefits are gained while minimizing harm to the natural and man-made environments. We focus on solutions with people at the center of the problem-solving experience, further enhanced by an extensive technical practice.
Berger has conducted large and small NEPA/SEPA studies worldwide, including NC Department of Transportation and US Department of Defense projects in North Carolina. Berger has conducted environmental resource investigation, environmental site assessments, noise studies, air quality assessments, cultural resource investigations, community impact assessments, and indirect and cumulative impact assessments, among others.
Our primary focus areas are listed below - click on each to see examples of recent projects we’ve conducted.
Spatial Analysis and Visualization
Berger maintains in-house, state-of-the-art computer systems for preparing mapping, visualization and Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis. Berger’s software capability includes ESRI ArcGIS, SketchUp 3D, CommunityViz Scenario 360, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop and Illustrator) and Caliper’s TransCAD. Berger’s technical expertise goes beyond map preparation, ranging from modeling and analysis using ESRI’s Spatial Analyst, Network Analyst and other ArcGIS products, to scenario-based planning and decision-making, to 3D and graphic or hand renderings of planning concepts.
Public Involvement
The Louis Berger Group, Inc. strongly believes that active public involvement is an integral part of most planning and design projects. Obtaining effective community input early can lead to a smoother planning process later, results that better fit the community’s needs, and a public that buys into the results, yielding a plan that is more likely to be actively utilized.
Berger staff are very experienced in leading meetings with client staff, stakeholder committees, and the public, as well as more innovative public involvement techniques. They can create a coordinated graphical “look” to published materials and use GIS mapping to illustrate complex planning concepts to the public.
Selected Public Involvement Methods:
- Public Surveys - Range from quick, simple opinion polls to more complex questions where respondents react to graphics or maps, such as future land use preferences. May be paper-based or internet-based (we maintain a license for online survey software, at no cost to our clients). Following are some examples:
- Project Websites - Can function to keep the public informed about progress and ways to get involved. Range from simple (posting documents and announcing meetings) to complex (RSVP form functions, interactive games, discussion boards).
- Focus Group Meetings - A small public meeting to get feedback from a specific demographic or community group, such as elderly, youths, Hispanics, etc. Targeted toward non-mainstream groups that aren't likely to get engaged in other, traditional methods of outreach/assessment (e.g., public meetings).
- Public Workshops, Open Houses and Field Trips - Can be used for information dissemination (such as a drop-in style open house with staff available to answer questions); interactive discussion and feedback (employing small group exercises); or an interactive field trip to view and consider key locations in the town (by foot, bicycle, or van). Here are several examples we’ve used recently:
- Postcards, Brochures, Newsletters and Flyers - Informs the public what the project is about, time/location of upcoming meetings, how to find more information (e.g., website URL). Can be incorporated into existing forms of communication (e.g., newspaper or community newsletter). Postcard can be mail-out (informative) or mail-back (space for comments, pre-addressed and stamped).
- Large-format Maps and Posters - Our in-house large-format printers enable us to quickly and cost effectively create a variety of high-quality maps and posters to inform people and garner feedback at public workshops and meetings, to display planning information at Town Hall, etc.
- Mobile Information Kiosks - Staffed display board and table to travel to community gathering spots or destinations, such as a farmer’s market, major shopping center, community meeting, Fourth of July event. Use to notify the public of necessary project information as well as gather input from the public through informal conversation or handing out surveys.
- Translation for the Hispanic Community - Berger has staff in the North Carolina office who are fluent in Spanish and can translate press releases, public surveys, and other materials for the Hispanic community as well as provide translation at public meetings.
In addition, we have started a Wiki website for planning and transportation professionals to share their experiences with public involvement techniques. People can comment on our postings or add their own through the collaborative website.
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