Webinar - Beyond ‘Who Came?’: How One Simple Lens Revealed Who We Weren’t Hearing: Using social vulnerability to design engagement that enables—not just invites.

Beyond ‘Who Came?’: How One Simple Lens Revealed Who We Weren’t Hearing

Using social vulnerability to design engagement that enables—not just invites.

Across most municipalities, engagement often reflects who can participate—not necessarily those most affected by the decision. Edmonton wanted to deepen its practice by designing proactively for residents whose circumstances may limit their capacity to demand a service, adapt to change, or participate at all. This concept of social vulnerability—the lived conditions that shape a person’s ability to engage—is now reshaping how the City approaches public participation.

This webinar explores how Edmonton is integrating a social vulnerability lens into engagement planning—an approach that moves beyond generic outreach to understand where participation barriers may be higher and why. By adapting a version of the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI)—originally developed for disaster response—the City began using data to anticipate barriers before engagement begins. This aligns with Edmonton’s Public Engagement Policy (C593D), which calls for equity-based, data-driven, proactive, and continuously improving engagement.

Rather than offering a step-by-step formula, the session shares the mindset behind the work: how a simple data lens can illuminate who is most affected, guide decisions about where to show up, and support more intentional, meaningful participation.

Through examples from the Public Washroom Strategy, Community Sandbox Program, and Sidewalk Maintenance Strategy, participants will see how vulnerability mapping revealed patterns that traditional engagement alone could not—and how it strengthens values-based, impact-oriented decision-making across the organization.

This webinar is for practitioners seeking engagement that does more than invite—it enables.

Time Zones

• 01:00 pm - 02:15 pm Eastern
• 12:00 pm - 01:15 pm Central
• 11:00 pm - 12:15 pm Mountain
• 10:00 am - 11:15 am Pacific

About the presenters:

Maral Hamayeli is a Senior Public Engagement Advisor with the City of Edmonton, bringing over ten years of international and Canadian experience in participatory planning and digital engagement. She holds an MA in Digital Humanities from the University of Alberta and focuses on equity-driven, trauma-informed, and data-informed practices. Maral supports major City initiatives and helps strengthen organizational engagement capacity across the public service.