Case Study: Street Teams
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Street Teams on the Valley Line
In-person outreach that brought LRT safety information to the Edmontonians least likely to see a notice or attend a public meeting.
- Project
- Valley Line Southeast
- Project Owner
- City of Edmonton
- Prime Consultant
- AECOM
- Date
- 2022 to 2024
As construction progressed on the Valley Line Southeast and Valley Line West, some community members were never going to be reached by a website, a public meeting or a formal notice.
reVerb planned and delivered a Street Team program that took real-time outreach into the community instead.
Reaching Past the Core Information Loop
Traditional engagement channels leave out the people who are not watching for them.
The Street Team was built to reach residents outside that loop, and to open a two-way channel where questions could be asked and answered in person.
- Newcomers
- ESL speakers
- Lower-income families
- Casual city visitors
- Children
- Higher-risk and marginalized populations
Built, Staffed and Run by reVerb
reVerb led the program end to end, from hiring and training staff to coordinating event attendance, developing the public education tools and reporting the results.
The Street Team appeared at festivals, civic events and community hubs including libraries and rec centres. It adapted around weather conditions such as wildfire smoke, and drew on relationships with partners including the Edmonton Arts Council and the City Hall School program.
-
July 2022
Launched as part of the Valley Line Southeast safety campaign.
-
2023
Expanded to cover Valley Line West alongside the Southeast work.
-
2024
Moved to a fully West-focused model as construction shifted.
Hands-On, Not Handouts
reVerb developed educational tools that invited direct interaction, each one teaching safe transit behaviours, platform features and train recognition.
Multilingual Brochure
Translated into six of the languages most commonly spoken in Edmonton.
Kids' Activity Book
A bilingual activity book for younger riders and their families.
Life-Size Board Game
A walk-on game that turned safety rules into something people could play.
Rail-Safety Matching Game
A quick matching game for train recognition and platform features.
A Year on the Ground
- 18,184Edmontonians engaged
- 136Events attended across Edmonton
- 9External groups collaborated with
A Face People Could Ask
Staff were trained to answer a wide range of questions, including those about project delays and concerns.
They were often mistaken for 311 representatives because of how familiar they were with city-wide topics, which put the program in the position of a trusted, approachable face of the project. Other City departments began inviting the team to their own events.
At street level, the team influenced behaviour directly. One documented moment had a passerby who had been ignoring signals stop to follow the walk light after a team member stepped in. In another, staff eased safety concerns by explaining how the trains operate and what safety mechanisms are built in.
What came back to the project
- Detailed interaction logs
- Audience insights by event and location
- Engagement summaries that helped City staff and project partners see emerging concerns
- A steadier tone in public discussion during periods of heightened scrutiny
Valley Line Southeast Safety Street Team
Out in the Community
Pop-Up Event: Downtown Campus Block Party
A Valley Line West pop-up booth, run on a day of heavy wildfire smoke.
Read the Case Study Case StudyAccessibility Program for a New Transit Line
Helping riders with accessibility needs learn the Valley Line Southeast LRT before rider service began.
Read the Case StudyNeed Street Team Support on Your Project?
Talk to reVerb about in-person outreach for your project or campaign.
