ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the process of getting from project objectives to plan proposal, the several bookends of a participatory planning process. Between these bookends, much happens. It is up to the community designer to impose an orderly framework within which the process unfolds in steps. The conceptual framework for the process resembles the letter V, in that it starts from a broad perspective and gradually focuses in on discrete action steps. A critical look also suggests how random the information we keep in mind is. Because of the human tendency to retain only partial, incomplete, and perhaps unrepresentative bits of information about the built environment, it is often useful to conduct a preliminary exploration of existing conditions at the project site. For the community members, a preliminary exploration is a better way to understand existing conditions and expand knowledge about conditions and issues they may have overlooked.
