Creating A Vision

When Creating a Vision:

Engage Stakeholders

The people who live and work downtown have unique and valuable perspectives on the existing condition and functionality of the space. Through meaningful outreach to a diverse range of stakeholders, planners can hear feedback, learn about assets or challenges they weren’t aware of, and build the necessary community support to make the project a reality.

Stakeholders can include:

Local government agencies
Local elected officials
Residents
Local business and property owners
Chambers of commerce
Economic development corporations
Civic groups
School districts
Colleges and universities

When engaging with stakeholders, be open to incorporating their feedback and handling disagreements. This will help community members to feel heard and build support early in the project.

Use Public Engagement Tools

Different outreach methods can be used to reach a broad range of perspectives and maximize participation in the visioning process. These include:

Community Meetings
Open houses and other public meetings allow stakeholders to learn about an issue and provide feedback. To increase participation, these meetings can be held online, broadcast on social media, or recorded and posted online to make the information accessible to those unable to attend an in-person event.

Design Workshops / Charettes
A design workshop (also known as a charette) is an intensive session where professionals and community members work collaboratively to address a specific issue. Participants should represent different backgrounds and interests. This tool is best used to solve complex problems or address highly visible projects that may have significant impacts on the surrounding community.

Focus Groups
Individuals representing different interests are invited to discuss a particular issue or topic as a group.

Mail Outs
Postcards, brochures and other publications can be mailed to stakeholders. To reach a wide audience at a lower cost, consider including informational inserts with utility bills or other regularly scheduled mailings.

Surveys
Surveys can be administered online and in person, or print copies can be mailed. The results can be easily analyzed, helping policymakers understand the community’s current views regarding local issues.

Interviews
Interviews allow those developing the plan to interact directly with stakeholders , helping them identify key issues or themes. They can be completed in-person, by phone, or through video call. Depending on the media used, interviewers can detect and respond to changing body language and speech patterns, which allows them to better interpret participants’ responses.

Websites
Interactive webpages can allow interested parties to easily access information and submit comments.

Social Media
Social media allows stakeholders to share comments, pictures, websites, and other information whenever they want. While these tools can expand the reach of planning efforts, managing and analyzing content can require significant time.

Local Media
Local newspapers or other media can provide information about planning efforts.

Feet on the Street
Instead of asking stakeholders to come to a meeting, planners can go where they live, work, and play. Planners can interact with community members at festivals, concerts, and other public events, helping them learn more about the local community.

Walking Audit
Walking through the community with the people who interact with it every day can help planners better understand how spaces are used and address blind spots.

For all public engagement strategies, it is important to consider who is reached with different tools. A public meeting during the day, for example, will likely have greater participation from retirees than working adults.

Building in a networking component to an event may increase its appeal to business owners, while providing childcare can increase accessibility to parents.

Social media sites often have a younger audience than many physical newspapers, impacting who sees advertisements there. To ensure that plans address a wide range of community needs, use a variety of tools that can reach different groups.

Identify Community Assets

When thinking about development, it’s easy to focus on the needs and deficits that exist while taking for granted the many strengths and assets that draw people to the area in the first place. Identifying the assets that a community already has can encourage growth while maintaining the unique character that makes a place special.

Community assets encompass a broad range of things that improve the quality of community life, including:

Natural resources, such as access to waterways, parks, or open spaces
Access to locally grown agricultural products
Historic buildings and landmarks
Proximity to major metropolitan areas and regional transportation routes
Affordable housing opportunities
Affordable retail and business spaces
Unique economic niches and longstanding employers
Cultural events (festivals, fairs, etc.)
Active community and social groups

Conduct a Market Analysis

By studying local and regional economic trends, communities can develop a realistic vision of how they can generate new investment within their downtowns.

When conducting a market analysis, communities should:

Determine the local trade area
Study demographic data
Identify existing businesses, attractions, and other economic assets
Survey business owners and customers

Think About Specific Goals and Core Values

In general, a revitalization plan should be comprehensive, actionable, supportable, and measurable. This means creating a strategic plan with specific and quantifiable goals based on the research and community outreach completed that covers a range of issues affecting downtown.

Some topics to think through for this plan include:

Bring People In

How will you market downtown to residents and businesses? What natural or cultural resources will you highlight to attract visitors and tourism? How can transportation be improved to get people to downtown areas?

Create an Attractive, Walkable Place

What physical changes can you make to create a more inviting downtown?

Encourage a Diversity of Uses

What housing, retail, and office space should exist downtown? How can these uses work together to create a vibrant environment?

Promote Safety

How can design improve crime prevention and public health to create a safer and higher quality downtown area?

The answers to these questions will depend on the existing conditions and goals of each community. In the Plan Fundamental Sections, we will cover these principles in greater detail.

Creating A Vision - Livable Centers Prairie View