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The civic infrastructure of our society is equally as important
as the physical infrastructure. How we involve the people in our
communities must play a crucial role in how we build our buildings
and neighborhoods. Winston Churchill once wrote that "We shape
our buildings; thereafter, they shape us."
Public participation is especially important when we're talking
about planning and revitalizing new communities. After all, shouldn't
we involve the people who live in a community in deciding how it
should be improved or how it should change over time? The irony
is that private sector businesses rely on market studies - at a
cost of billions of dollars - to determine what features people
want in a product. And yet, when it comes to things that really
matter like how should our city accommodate growth or what do we
need to do to make our neighborhoods more livable, the typical response
is to hold a few public hearings that the public doesn't even know
are taking place.
So, why should we spend time and money to involve people in the
planning process? Cities that have taken the effort to involve their
residents report the following significant benefits:
- To insure that good plans remain intact over time. City councils,
planning commissions, city managers and city planners tend to
come and go. Thus, even the best of plans are subject to being
dismantled over time. A plan which involves the public in its
creation will have a long-lasting and stable constituency.
- To reduce the likelihood of contentious battles before councils
and planning commissions. Planners and urban designers observe
that at planning commissions and city council meetings, people
are often arguing about the wrong thing. Density and use have
become the center of everyone's attention rather than the more
concrete questions about whether or not a particular development
will enhance or damage the area in which it is built. A proactive
planning process which includes a well-designed public involvement
component allows residents to understand exactly what it is they
are getting and assures that most people will be happy with the
plan and the individual projects at build-out.
- To speed the development process and reduce the cost of good
projects. Projects which are well-designed but have not included
public involvement may face opposition which will slow or stop
the project. There are considerable costs associated with this
for both the city and the developer.
- To increase the quality of planning. Professionals are not
the only ones generating good ideas. Conversely, residents are
not necessarily wiser than public officials and professionals.
Programs and projects that are the result of an informed citizenry,
guided by professionals, are likely to be superior in the long
run.
- To enhance the general sense of community and trust in government.
Rick Cole, former Mayor of Pasadena, California, states the true
essence of public participation: "Out of our effort to have
thousands in the community participate came the Seventh Principle
of the new general plan: Citizen Participation will be a Permanent
Part of Achieving a Greater City. The Seventh Principle has changed
government, making it more open, responsive and effective. It
has also raised the level of trust among citizens - not in trusting
City Hall, but in trusting that they own City Hall."
A successful public participation program related to community
design and transportation planning requires not only the commitment
of time and energy but also the use of tools and techniques that
engage residents from a wide variety of backgrounds. Experience
has found that an inclusive, open process is most effective if it
incorporates 3-dimensional visuals and is participatory in nature.
As the old proverb says, "Tell me I forget. Show me, I remember.
Involve me, I understand."
LGC Projects
The Local Government Commission assists cities and counties in
expanding and improving their public participation efforts. Specifically,
trained LGC staff are available to work with local governments on
preparing tools that are customized for a particular community.
Over the past six years the LGC has prepared over 15 Community
Image Surveys, a form of visual survey that helps determine
people's preferences. The LGC is also developing a presentation
on compact development that will include a participatory process
to help people understand some of he tradeoffs involved in new residential
development.
Resources
In 1995, the Local Government Commission developed a guidebook
discussing techniques and case studies to improve participation
in land use planning:
- Participation
Tools for Better Land-Use Planning: Techniques and Case Studies
discusses the importance of public involvement in the planning
process and lists a variety of visual/graphic tools and techniques
that can be used to involve the public in the planning process.
It includes ten techniques to involve the public in the planning
process. A case study helps illustrate each technique. The document
was revised in 1997.
Under Free Publications
and Resources you will also find information on some of the
Participation
Tools and Techniques that are being used by communities and
regions around the country.
Web Links
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