[Vision2020] The City This Week: An Occasional View from a Citizen

Sun, 28 Sep 2003 17:32:24 -0700

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WARNING: I do go on in this about citizen participation past and =
future... the really urgent part of this is in the first twelve lines. =
Thanks for your patience.

THE CITY THIS WEEK: An Occasional View from a Citizen=20

This is Rosh Hashanah, the holiest time in the Jewish calendar, the =
beginning of the new year... a time of reflection and renewal. Please =
accept my most sincerest wish for all of you to have a good and sweet =
year. L'shanah tovah.=20

Monday, September 29, 2003, 4-6 P.M. City Council Communication Forum=20

University of Idaho Incubator Conference Room=20

121 Sweet Avenue=20

Visionaries, while this is a council workshop (translation: the Council =
talks among themselves, citizens get to observe but it's not intended to =
be a broad open discussion), the topic is innovative ways to increase =
and enhance communications with Council, staff and the public. It should =
be of considerable interest to those who listen in on this list serve. =
This is one workshop that it would be interesting to have some citizens =
present to hear what people are talking about and view the process.=20

A little eclectic history...

Over the fourteen years (77-83, 93-01) I served on the Council, I tried =
a number of avenues to increase citizen participation, either as =
instigator or active participant. Here are some plus random comments =
about their efficacy:=20

council member city hall office hours (when citizens could drop in and =
say hi, ask questions, 4-6 PM once a month to give people an opportunity =
to do this at a time when it might be convenient for them) Didn't get =
much traffic but some credit for the effort: people appreciated the =
willingness and the follow-through on problems when they took up the =
invitation.

the phone, now e-mail Talking to your city council members and to city =
hall has never been a big problem in my experience as citizen or council =
member. Early in my service, the phone worked really well, now even =
better with voice mail. My first gripe at city hall was about the need =
for but lack of a stop sign at A and Jefferson. That got fixed in a =
month and a half, about thirty years ago. E-mail has worked pretty well =
too but we have to realize that a lot of people are not hooked up or =
don't feel especially comfortable with the technology.=20

neighborhood planning organizations (effort to get neighborhood =
organizations around the city, small scale, to look at what works in =
their neighborhood and communicate regularly with the Council and =
P&Z...coffees and commentaries, lots of living room time) worked well =
for a few years with Fort Russell and was used by a couple of areas with =
crisis issues or special projects like a park: high maintenance, deep =
commitment and care and feeding required for this to work over time.=20

Better hearing/citizen comment sessions PRIOR to decision making: In the =
last decade, we took a leaf out of improved citizen hearing techniques =
that have been proliferating around cities in America... the 'buffet =
process' where the possibility of commenting on various options before =
final decisions (planning for the swimming pool) and, even better, the =
possibility of contributing to the design and configuration of options =
which are then the subject of further citizen involvement (Paradise =
Path/Berman Creekside Park planning) Making this work effectively =
citywide would take a significant commitment of city staff and policy =
makers as well as a modest budget.=20

town meetings, community retreats In the late 1970s, town meetings on =
growth and mall development sparked downtown redevelopment commitment =
and allowed citizens to express in larger groups how they felt about =
various growth issues. Whenever a couple hundred citizens turn up for =
ANYTHING, our local government sits up and takes nourishment! In 1998, =
Vision 2020, the Latah County Library District and the School District =
obtained a Humanities Grant, got financial buy in from local citizens =
and held a day long retreat that produced very exciting ideas and =
recommendations and a nifty report if I do say so myself (I loved being =
able to include my photographs of the event!). Good news: most council =
members attended and many of the ideas have wormed their way into city =
activities and programs. Not so good news: there was no systematic =
follow-up and some of the good ideas are still there, in the pages of =
the report.=20

Charettes, community planning events Start with the wonderful =
participatory community planning event of "Third and Main," a brain =
child of Bill Bode (Moscow Hotel fame), Ivar Nelson (just plain fame, =
now publisher) and others whose names did not immediately pop up on the =
Pall Brain search engine, that brought to downtown planning the =
innovative, excellent architect and planner, the late Jim Burns of San =
Francisco, and his hugely effective participatory planning technique, =
"Take Part!" The outcome of this was the 1980-82 Downtown Revitalization =
effort and a community enthusiasm for participatory planning that lasted =
through the 1980s into the 1990s and influenced many subsequent civic =
projects.=20

In looking to the acquisition of the 1912 Moscow High School and =
eventual development of the 1912 Center, many charettes (architectural =
studies of neighborhoods or facilities with potential users and citizens =
all working together) used the services of Wendy McClure, UI =
architecture professor, Joanne Reece, landscape architect and =
Facilities/Capital Projects VP at UI, local architects and university =
profs, staff and students to bring us together and formulate realistic =
scenarios that city officials could take forward to reality. This format =
along the lines of Burns' efforts as they have developed in =
participatory planning efforts over the years would be a very good tool =
to use in Moscow today.with the help of people like Wendy, Nels Reece =
and others from the university staff and the enthusiasm and skills of =
students.

WHAT'S NEW???=20

I can just hear some of you, if you haven't firmly placed your index =
finger on the mouse and sent this to the dustbin of cyber space, saying =
"That was then, this is now!!!"=20

The Council should certainly consider a few things, both innovative and =
ordinary, at its workshop tomorrow afternoon, for improving =
communication with the public (in no particular order):=20

+ Commitment of City policy makers (including Boards and Commissions) =
and staff to listen well and act in good faith. Find out what citizens =
think and be open to what is proposed.=20

+ Commitment of citizens at large, whether an active part of the =
dialogue or on the fringe, to express themselves clearly and =
respectfully to each other and city participants and act in good faith. =
Be part of the dialogue and search for common ground when dealing with =
difficult, contentious issues.=20

+ Any new initiatives for citizen participation should be grassroots up, =
not top down processes.=20

+ Focus on small group discussions (neighborhood-based or partner =
organizations) on important civic topics, like growth, community unity, =
city goals, etc. There is a wonderful model out there that could help us =
with the organization part of this and leave us with enhanced human =
capital as a result of training facilitators in the community: =
StudyCircles! Kuna, Idaho, has used this with success as have hundreds =
of communities across the U.S. Check out www.studycircles.org to take a =
look at how other communities have used this process effectively and =
successfully.=20

+ Think through civic decision making processes at the inception of a =
project and make the process transparent and easily understood so that =
people know when, where and how to put their two cents in (and how to =
follow up).

+ Continue to work with UI Architecture staff and students and other =
departments to assist in broad-based, inclusive, grassroots community =
planning, including dispute resolution, design charettes and other =
mechanisms to encourage diverse participation.

Thanks for reading this far.

All the best,

Linda Pall

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WARNING: I do go on in this about citizen =
participation past=20
and future... the really urgent part of this is in the first twelve =
lines.=20
Thanks for your patience.
&nbsp;
THE CITY THIS WEEK: An Occasional View from a=20
Citizen 
This is Rosh Hashanah, the holiest time in the Jewish =
calendar, the=20
beginning of the new year... a time of reflection and renewal. Please =
accept my=20
most sincerest wish for all of you to have a good and sweet year. =
L'shanah=20
tovah. =
<FONT=20
size=3D2>
Monday, September 29, 2003, 4-6 P.M. City Council =
Communication=20
Forum 
University of Idaho Incubator Conference=20
Room 
121 Sweet Avenue=20

Visionaries, while this is a council workshop (translation: the =
Council talks=20
among themselves, citizens get to observe but it's not intended to be a =
broad=20
open discussion), the topic is innovative ways to increase and enhance=20
communications with Council, staff and the public. It should be of =
considerable=20
interest to those who listen in on this list serve. This is one workshop =
that it=20
would be interesting to have some citizens present to hear what people =
are=20
talking about and view the process. 
A little eclectic history...
Over the fourteen years (77-83, 93-01) I served on the Council, I =
tried a=20
number of avenues to increase citizen participation, either as =
instigator or=20
active participant. Here are some&nbsp;plus random comments about their=20
efficacy: 
council member city hall office hours (when citizens =
could=20
drop in and say hi, ask questions, 4-6 PM once a month to give people an =

opportunity to do this at a time when it might be convenient for them) =
Didn't=20
get much traffic but some credit for the effort: people appreciated the=20
willingness and the follow-through on problems when they took up the=20
invitation.
the phone, now e-mail Talking to your city council =
members=20
and to city hall has never been a big problem in my experience as =
citizen or=20
council member. Early in my service, the phone worked really well, now =
even=20
better with voice mail. My first gripe at city hall was about the need =
for but=20
lack of a stop sign at A and Jefferson. That got fixed in a month and a =
half,=20
about thirty years ago. E-mail has worked pretty well too but we have to =
realize=20
that a lot of people are not hooked up or don't feel especially =
comfortable with=20
the technology. 
neighborhood planning organizations (effort to get=20
neighborhood organizations around the city, small scale, to look at what =
works=20
in their neighborhood and communicate regularly with the Council and=20
P&amp;Z...coffees and commentaries, lots of living room time) worked =
well for a=20
few years with Fort Russell and was used by a couple of areas with =
crisis issues=20
or special projects like a park: high maintenance, deep commitment and =
care and=20
feeding required for this to work over time.=20

Better hearing/citizen comment sessions PRIOR to decision making: In =
the last=20
decade, we took a leaf out of improved citizen hearing techniques that =
have been=20
proliferating around cities in America... the 'buffet process' where the =

possibility of commenting on various options before final decisions =
(planning=20
for the swimming pool) and, even better, the possibility of contributing =
to the=20
design and configuration of options which are then the subject of =
further=20
citizen involvement (Paradise Path/Berman Creekside Park planning) =
Making this=20
work effectively citywide would take a significant commitment of city =
staff and=20
policy makers as well as a modest budget. =
<FONT=20
size=3D2>
town meetings, community retreats In the late 1970s, =
town=20
meetings on growth and mall development sparked downtown redevelopment=20
commitment and allowed citizens to express in larger groups how they =
felt about=20
various growth issues. Whenever a couple hundred citizens turn up for =
ANYTHING,=20
our local government sits up and takes nourishment! In 1998, Vision =
2020, the=20
Latah County Library District and the School District obtained a =
Humanities=20
Grant, got financial buy in from local citizens and held a day long =
retreat that=20
produced very exciting ideas and recommendations and a nifty report if I =
do say=20
so myself (I loved being able to include my photographs of the event!). =
Good=20
news: most council members attended and many of the ideas have wormed =
their way=20
into city activities and programs. Not so good news: there was no =
systematic=20
follow-up and some of the good ideas are still there, in the pages of =
the=20
report. 
Charettes, community planning events Start with the=20
wonderful participatory community planning event of "Third and Main," a =
brain=20
child of Bill Bode (Moscow Hotel fame), Ivar Nelson (just plain fame, =
now=20
publisher) and others whose names did not immediately pop up on the Pall =
Brain=20
search engine, that brought to downtown planning the innovative, =
excellent=20
architect and planner, the late Jim Burns of San Francisco, and his =
hugely=20
effective participatory planning technique, "Take Part!" The outcome of =
this was=20
the 1980-82 Downtown Revitalization effort and a community enthusiasm =
for=20
participatory planning that lasted through the 1980s into the 1990s and=20
influenced many subsequent civic projects. =
<FONT=20
size=3D2>
In looking to the acquisition of the 1912 Moscow High School and =
eventual=20
development of the 1912 Center, many charettes (architectural studies of =

neighborhoods or facilities with potential users and citizens all =
working=20
together) used the services of Wendy McClure, UI architecture professor, =
Joanne=20
Reece, landscape architect and Facilities/Capital Projects VP at UI, =
local=20
architects and university profs, staff and students to bring us together =
and=20
formulate realistic scenarios that city officials could take forward to =
reality.=20
This format along the lines of Burns&#8217; efforts as they have =
developed in=20
participatory planning efforts over the years would be a very good tool =
to use=20
in Moscow today&#8230;with the help of people like Wendy, Nels Reece and =
others from=20
the university staff and the enthusiasm and skills of =
students.<FONT=20
size=3D2>
WHAT'S NEW??? 
I can just hear some of you, if you haven't firmly placed your index =
finger=20
on the mouse and sent this to the dustbin of cyber space, saying "That =
was then,=20
this is now!!!" 
The Council should certainly consider a few things, both innovative =
and=20
ordinary, at its workshop tomorrow afternoon,&nbsp;for improving =
communication=20
with the public (in no particular order): =
<FONT=20
size=3D2>
+ Commitment of City policy makers (including Boards and Commissions) =
and=20
staff to listen well and act in good faith. Find out what citizens think =
and be=20
open to what is proposed. 
+ Commitment of citizens at large, whether an active part of the =
dialogue or=20
on the fringe, to express themselves clearly and respectfully to each =
other and=20
city participants and act in good faith. Be part of the dialogue and =
search for=20
common ground when dealing with difficult, contentious =
issues.<FONT=20
size=3D3> 
+ Any new initiatives for citizen participation should be =
grassroots=20
up, not top down processes. =
<FONT=20
size=3D2>
+ Focus on small group discussions (neighborhood-based or partner=20
organizations) on important civic topics, like growth, community unity, =
city=20
goals, etc. There is a wonderful model out there that could help us with =
the=20
organization part of this and leave us with enhanced human capital as a =
result=20
of training facilitators in the community: StudyCircles! Kuna, Idaho, =
has used=20
this with success as have hundreds of communities across the U.S. Check =
out=20
www.studycircles.org<FONT=20
size=3D2> to take a look at how other communities have used this process =

effectively and successfully.</FONT><FONT size=3D3> </FONT></P><FONT =
size=3D2>
<P>+ Think through civic decision making processes at the inception of a =
project=20
and make the process transparent and easily understood so that people =
know when,=20
where and how to put their two cents in (and how to follow up).</P>
<P>+ Continue to work with UI Architecture staff and students and other=20
departments to assist in broad-based, inclusive, grassroots community =
planning,=20
including dispute resolution, design charettes and other mechanisms to =
encourage=20
diverse participation.</P>
<P><STRONG>Thanks for reading this far.</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG></STRONG>&nbsp;</P>
<P><STRONG>All the best,</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>Linda Pall</STRONG></P></FONT></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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