Community Concerns - Community Engagement
Most of us have witnessed, or at least heard tales of, public meetings that have gone poorly. Often these meetings take place to discuss a real estate development that needs some sort of approval – like zoning variances – where the confrontation is built in from the start.
Strong communities who get the real estate development they want have explained to future developers, through some form of planning and guidance, what they want built in their communities. Further, they have codified their zoning and other regulations to escort that development through with as efficient and painless a process as possible.
To achieve plans and codes that allow a community’s preferred development requires input from that community. While no community engagement process can be guaranteed to go smoothly, an expertly administered engagement process can keep the discourse focused and productive. Also, true experts in public engagement don’t speak for the community, they devise a process where the community can speak for itself. No one knows what’s good for Oak Street better than the lady who lives on Oak Street.
Neighborhoods - Gathering Places
Gathering Places, large or small, can be the hallmarks of a city. Discover how citizens, when professionally led, can design public gathering places that capture the soul of a community.
Neighborhoods - Tools for Planning
From Pedestrian Sheds to Form-Based Codes, planners and architects have many tools in their tool bag to choose from – maybe even too many. Learn about different tools for effectively gathering information from a range of community stakeholders.
Streets - Fundamental Ingredients
Even though street corridors have a larger impact on our daily lives than any other piece of the physical public realm, most people feel helpless about trying to shape them. In this section you’ll learn about the fundamental ingredients of street corridors so you can know what changes should happen to your streets and how to advocate for those changes.
Streets - Scale and Proportion
The scale and proportion of a street corridor impacts the intensity of the neighborhood. This is why it’s important for communities to understand these proportions and express their desire for the types of street corridors and activities that they want.
Streets - Intersections and Streetscape
Intersections and Streetscape have an oversized impact the safety and economic energy of a neighborhood. An engaged group of citizens can advocate for improvements which establish pedestrian and bicycle-friendly places
Public Places - Small Gathering Spaces
Small gathering spaces are great opportunities to add character to a community inexpensively. With an engaged community, these intimate places can be created to fit the unique personality of a neighborhood resulting in places of civic pride. The design process for creating these places are also excellent occasions to get to know each other.