MetroQuest Online Launched
We are proud to unveil our newest stakeholder engagement tool, MetroQuest Online, a web-based version of MetroQuest, our powerful scenario animator. While MetroQuest is ideal for use in public workshops, MetroQuest Online complements it by letting citizens explore "what-if" scenarios at their own desktops! This lets workshop participants stay engaged with the issues, and reaches citizens who are not inclined to attend workshops. Our first installation is for the City of Guelph. GuelphQuest Online is the companion tool to GuelphQuest, which has been customized to display geograpic and other data relevant to the region. The City will be holding a series of public workshops as well as featuring the online version on their official website for several months. >> If you would like to try it out for yourself, please visit Guelph.ca/GuelphQuest.
>> To learn more about MetroQuest Online, visit our products section.
>> Download our press release (PDF). 
MetroQuest selected after 18-month Transportation Research Board study  | | The study showed that MetroQuest is effective in improving transportation decisions. | Following an exhaustive study of “Technologies to Improve Consideration of Environmental Concerns in Transportation Decisions”, the Transportation Research Board has selected MetroQuest to showcase the value of interactive regional scenario analysis. The study examined 70 tools and approaches in their search for the most relevant, effective and proven technologies to improve transportation decisions. Researchers evaluated the technologies against a series of criteria including cost, applicability, ease of implementation, and client feedback. The study highlights MetroQuest's usage with the Idaho Transportation Department, who were pleased to be selected to represent leading edge scenario planning. The study found that the highlighted technologies can, “reduce project development time, reduce costs and enhance environmental quality by improving the ability to implement decisions, reducing the number of projects in litigation, reducing paperwork, increasing public understanding of the process, and increasing public trust.” >> Watch the TRB video highlighting MetroQuest
(Choose "Interactive Regional Scenario Analysis")
>> Read the full report (PDF) The World Urban Forum Envisions the Future This June, Vancouver was host to the UN’s World Urban Forum, with some 10,000 participants from over 100 countries. Envision, in collaboration with SmartGrowth BC, took part by holding three “Envision the Future” workshops demonstrating the MetroQuest approach to sustainability planning.  | | Dave Biggs leading an Envision the Future workshop at the World Urban Forum in Vancouver | Using MetroQuest software to visualize regional growth issues, participants from as far away as Africa and South America collaborated on 40-year future regional growth scenarios. Through these engaging workshops, participants balanced dozens of priorities in areas such as transportation, housing development and environmental stewardship. Although from diverse backgrounds, participants easily recognized challenges faced by their own regions in the scenarios generated by MetroQuest’s powerful integrated models. Everyone took home with them the central lesson of all MetroQuest workshops – that sustainable growth depends on broad understanding and support for plans that integrate and balance a range of priorities. The workshops were held in partnership with SmartGrowth BC and with the support of Western Diversification, BC Hydro and Alcan. >> View images from the Envision the Future workshops. Interested in MetroQuest Express or Envision the Future Workshops? Contact us to learn more or sign up to attend a Webcast demonstration. MetroQuest integration with CommunityViz combines regional and local planning The American Planning Association, in a report on tool integration, highlighted the  | | MetroQuest and CommunityViz combine to integrate regional and local planning | combination of MetroQuest and CommunityViz as an effective way to look at regional and local planning together. In one project, future scenarios created in MetroQuest were exported into CommunityViz, alowing stakeholders to consider the local consequences of broad plans. While MetroQuest is ideal for showing the consequences of planning choices for a whole region, CommunityViz lets stakeholders zoom into neighborhoods and visualize the effects of plans closer to home. >> Read the APA article (PDF) MetroQuest showcased at 2006 Global Philanthropy Forum in DC  | | Following their presentations, Dave Biggs and Bill Clinton chat about climate change and the role of community engagement | The MetroQuest team was honored to be selected to demonstrate best practices for community engagement to over 400 philanthropists and social entrepreneurs from around the world at the 2006 Global Philanthropy Forum held in Washington DC April 3-5. The forum included an impressive range of topics of interest to the growing MetroQuest community of users including long-term planning, urban sustainability, climate change, sustainable transportation systems, and the importance of community engagement in decision-making. Program highlights included presentations by Bill Clinton (Former US President & Founder of William J. Clinton Foundation), Peter Gabriel (Musician & Co-Founder of Witness), Ted Turner (Founder of CNN, Chairman, UN Foundation), Stephen B. Heinz (President, Rockefeller Brothers Fund), Steve Howard (CEO, The Climate Group), Flora Hewlett (Flora Family Foundation), Wyclif Jean (Musician & Founder, Yele Haiti), Rachel Payne (Manager, Google.org), Sterling Speirn (President & CEO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation).
>> Learn more at www.philanthropyforum.org Vancouver's youth hoots and hollers for the future 
On March 19th, Greater Vancouver's youth, rested or restless at the end of March school break, gathered at Vancouver’s Robson Square to create their 40-year vision for a sustainable Vancouver.
>> Read more Guelph selects MetroQuest for Long Term Growth Strategy 
Following a six-month search, the City of Guelph selected MetroQuest to assist in the creation of a long-term local growth strategy and community consultation process.
>> Read more MetroQuest clients win awards for best practices
The Municipality of Whistler and the State of Idaho have both recently won awards for excellence in public participation and long range planning. Both projects used MetroQuest for innovative stakeholder engagement and scenario exploration, leading the way to more inclusive and effective planning.
>> Read more about Whistler
>> Read more about Idaho Citizens explore 100-year vision for city
 The City of Calgary is engaging decision makers, stakeholders and citizens using MetroQuest in the innovative imagineCALGARY project. The number 100 has been a theme for the project, and the goal is to engage 100,000 residents in the creation of a 100-year plan for the city to mark the city’s 100th birthday. MetroQuest played a key role in this innovative project that has been attracting a great deal of attention.
>> Read more about Calgary  MetroQuest now available in three versions
You might already know that MetroQuest is the leading planning support tool for growth management, but did you know that there are now three different versions of MetroQuest to choose from? Depending on the level of control you need, the kind of stakeholder engagement you have planned, the size of your region, and other factors, there is a version best suited to your long-term regional planning.
>> Learn more about our products
Links to more stories: What We're Doing: What Others are Saying: Press Releases: |