ABSTRACT
Including community concerns as part of the planning and design process is essential for an equitable result and can reduce controversies about new development. It is also an invaluable way to learn from local residents and businesspeople about the real conditions in their area. Examples in this chapter are drawn from New York City, the New York City region, and from Norfolk, Virginia, with references to projects in Wildwood, Missouri, and Omaha, Nebraska, which are discussed in more detail later in the book. Working with the community has to begin with agreement about what the existing conditions are and what is needed to improve them. A workshop with community members can be a good way to reach agreement on existing conditions. Then, a sequence of public presentations is always essential, beginning with showing potential alternatives, which should be feasible economically and politically. Then, the community can make choices among the alternatives and finally agree on specific designs and plans. This process takes time. It should not end until most of the people participating have become convinced that what they are seeing is the best design and planning solution for the current situation. A charrette can be a good way to telescope the decision-making process about a design, but its success will depend on how representative the community participants turn out to be. There will always be some people who don’t agree, but they should not be a large number.
