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COMMUNITY PROCESS

Is to make transparent the process by which decisions are made in Play Framework. This
is not a set of laws governing the Play project, nor is anything in this document new, it simply
acknowledges the process that is already in place, and documents what it is.
The goal is to increase community contribution and sense of ownership over the Play
project, through doing the following:
• Making it clear and transparent to people who are new to the Play community how
decisions are made, who makes those decisions, and how new people can attain any
decision-making responsibility.
• Providing a concrete definition of the decision-making process in Play, so that it can
be referred to and improved upon, should the need arise.

This process must be followed by any business owner, building owner, and/or developer
seeking a change significant to the use and/or zoning of a specific site including special use permits,
change of zoning, zoning variations, alley access for new developments, approval in a designated
TIF area, or are Planned Developments or developments covered by the Lakefront Protection
Ordinance. In most cases, this process is not needed for securing business licenses, public way
permits, sign permits, sidewalk café permits, and loading zones. This process is intended to benefit
both the community and the incoming business by:

 Streamlining the decision making process in order to expedite the process of opening
a business.
 Allowing for meaningful, community input by both residential and business
organizations and.
 residents who serve and/or live in the area affected by the change.

COMMUNITY DYNAMIC
Community Dynamics is the process of change and development in communities of all
living organisms—including plants, microorganisms, and small and large creatures of every sort.

Populations of an organism will appear in an environment as its requirements for


establishment are met. As the successional level of a community as a whole advance, some
species will begin to find that conditions become less suitable for its reproduction. When this
occurs, its population declines in number, and the species may even disappear from the local
environment.
What is Community Dynamics?
The Community Dynamics data has been constructed by Social Life; an organization
specializing in research and community projects exploring how people are affected by changes in
the built environment.
The datasets use modeled data from the annual Community Life
Survey and Understanding Society Survey to map this data to Output Areas. This can then be used
to help predict how people are likely to feel about the areas they live in.

The datasets are presented indexed against the country within Local Insight, where a
positive score (greater than zero) indicates that an area is performing better than the national
average and a negative score (below zero) indicates an area is performing worse than the national
average. The datasets available in Local Insight are:

 Belonging: Shows predicted average levels of belonging for local areas


 Local social relationships: Shows predicted strength of local social relationships
 Satisfaction with local areas as a place to live: Shows predicted average levels of
satisfaction with local area.

What could it be used for?


For commissioners, policy-makers and anybody else involved in the design and delivery of
local services, Community Dynamics data can be used to bring additional depth into the
understanding of your local areas. Particularly, these datasets could have a role to play in projects
and initiatives looking to work in a more asset-based way.

Succession and Stability


In a low successional community there are comparatively few species present. Amongst
those present, it is usual for their populations to fluctuate widely and often very rapidly—weed
and insect outbreaks for instance. These communities of organisms are usually very unstable and
out of balance, as depicted to the left of the image below.

On the other hand, in high succession ally conditions there are many species, and whilst
number of individuals within each species tends to be lower, their relationships with each other
lead to very stable populations. There is balance, as the right-hand side of the image below shows.
Within nature, succession to generally advance. You can liken it to a coiled spring. When
compressed, succession is retarded, but when the compressive force is released the spring rapidly
moves upwards towards a higher level. It is likely you will see rapid changes in succession when
you deliberately manage for them.

Spatial and temporal fluctuations in community structure may be due to dispersal,


variation in environmental conditions, ecological heterogeneity among species, interspecific
interactions and demographic stochasticity. The research group aim to estimate the relative
contribution from these factors in shaping species abundance distributions and in causing spatio-
temporal variation in community composition. The group has a large emphasis on developing
methods leading to improved estimates from community data.

Designing the Built Environment


Understanding how people feel about the places they live can be useful information when
considering the built environment. Are particular designs and spaces more likely to foster positive
perceptions of belonging and encourage social relationships?

We have blogged before on how data on the prevalence of loneliness could be used to
shape environments to be more inclusive for elderly people. And the same could be said for using
Community Dynamics data to inform the design of community spaces. It goes without saying
(although we will say it anyway…) that no single dataset can tell us the whole story about a
particular area. However, adding subjective data around perceptions alongside the socio-
economic and demographic context sets us on the way to a more rounded picture.
COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT
Community empowerment refers to the process of enabling communities to increase
control over their lives. "Communities" are groups of people that may or may not be spatially
connected, but who share common interests, concerns or identities. These communities could
be local, national or international, with specific or broad interests. 'Empowerment' refers to
the process by which people gain control over the factors and decisions that shape their lives.
It is the process by which they increase their assets and attributes and build capacities to gain
access, partners, networks and/or a voice, in order to gain control. "Enabling" implies that
people cannot "be empowered" by others; they can only empower themselves by acquiring
more of power's different forms. It assumes that people are their own assets, and the role of
the external agent is to catalyse, facilitate or "accompany" the community in acquiring power.

Community empowerment, therefore, is more than the involvement, participation or


engagement of communities. It implies community ownership and action that explicitly aims at
social and political change. Community empowerment is a process of re-negotiating power in
order to gain more control. It recognizes that if some people are going to be empowered, then
others will be sharing their existing power and giving some of it up (Baum, 2008). Power is a
central concept in community empowerment and health promotion invariably operates within
the arena of a power struggle.

Community empowerment necessarily addresses the social, cultural, political and


economic determinants that underpin health, and seeks to build partnerships with other
sectors in finding solutions.

COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT AS A 5 POINT CONTINUUM

Community empowerment as a five-point continuum is comprised of the following


elements:

1. Personal action;
2. The development of small interest groups;
3. Community organizations;
4. Partnerships;
5. Social and political action.

The continuum offers a simple, linear interpretation of what is a dynamic and complex
concept and articulates the various levels of empowerment from personal, to organizational
through collective (community) action. Each point on the continuum can be viewed as an
outcome in itself, as well as a progression onto the next point. If not achieved the outcome is
stasis or even a move back to the preceding point on the continuum. The continuum has been
used by health promotion practitioners to explain how community empowerment can
potentially be maximised to `close the implementation gap` as people progress from individual
to collective action.
1. EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS FOR PERSONAL ACTION

The process of community empowerment can begin when persons experience


a high degree of ‘relative powerlessness’ that triggers an emotional response and a
personal action. Then, by participating in small interest groups individual community
members are better able to define, analyze and act on issues of concern. In everyday
life a personal action and subsequent participation in a small group could be triggered
by a road traffic accident and the involvement in a local action group for road safety. In
health promotion the basis for personal action and participation is often developed
during the planning phase of a programmed through an identification of needs. It is
important that programmed use approaches to build in a structure as well as a personal
way forward toward collective action. If practitioners only focus on the individual, they
risk making personal the issue and if they only focus on the structural issues, they run
the risk of neglecting the immediate needs of many people.

2. THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL INTEREST GROUPS

The development of small groups by concerned individuals is the start of


collective action. This provides an opportunity for the health promoter to assist
individuals to gain skills and is a means of developing stronger social support systems
and opportunity networks, interpersonal connectedness and social cohesion. An
example of the work of a small group to address Female Genital Mutilation in North
America.

The role of the practitioner at this point of the continuum is to bring people
together in small groups around issues which they feel are important to their lives, in a
manner that is not too controlling. These include:

• Self-help groups organized around a specific problem such as bereavement


support groups and Alcoholics Anonymous. Members usually have a shared
knowledge and interest in the problem, are participatory and supportive and
often set-up and managed by the participants;
• Community health groups which usually come together to campaign on a
specific issue such as environmental pollution or transport needs of socially
excluded groups such as the aged. People are motivated to come together
either for reactive or proactive reasons usually for short-term periods of
time;
• Community development health projects such as neighborhood-based projects set
up to address issues of local concern such as poor housing, and with government
support and a paid community health worker.

It is through the support of small groups that many people find a ‘voice’ and are
able to participate in a more formal way to achieve the community empowerment
outcomes. However, the membership of small groups is not homogeneous and conflict
regarding internal issues does arise, especially during the shift from an inward (self-
help) to an outward (social action) orientation. Problem assessment can help to resolve
conflict and build capacity when the identification of problems, solutions to the
problems and actions to resolve the problems are carried out by the community.

3. THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS

While small groups generally focus inwards on the needs of its immediate
members, community organizations focus outwards to the broader environment that
creates those needs in the first place, or offers the means (resources, opportunities) to
resolving them. Community organization structures include faith and youth groups,
community councils, cooperatives and associations. These are the organizational
elements in which people come together in order to socialize and to also address their
concerns.

Community organizations are not only larger than small interest groups but they
have a better-established structure, more functional leadership and the ability to
organize their members to mobilize resources. Community organizations are a crucial
step for small groups to be able to make the transition to partnerships and later to social
and political action. Importantly, individuals can become more critically aware of the
broader issues in community organizations in addition to learning the skills for assessing
their immediate problems.

4. PARTNERSHIPS

To be effective in influencing ‘higher level’ policy decision-making, community


organizations need to link with other groups sharing similar concerns. Community
organizations, by forming partnerships, can strengthen social networks, better compete
for limited resources and increase participation in the concerns of other member
organizations.

The purpose of partnerships is to allow community organizations to grow


beyond their own local concerns and to take a stronger position on broader issues
through networking and advocacy. The key empowerment issue is to remain focused
on the shared concern that brings the groups together and not on the individual needs
or issues of the different groups in the partnership.

5. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ACTION

Whilst individuals are able to influence the direction and implementation of a


programmed through their inputs and active participation, this alone does not
constitute community empowerment. As discussed, the difference between
participatory and empowerment approaches lies in the agenda and purpose of the
process. If concerned individuals remained at the small group level, the conditions
leading to their powerlessness would not be resolved. If people only engaged in
mainstream forms of lobbying through community organization and partnership
development without political action, those with power-over economic and political
decisions would have little reason to listen. Individuals progress along the continuum
from a position of personal action to a point where they are collectively involved with
redressing the deeper underlying causes of their concern through social and political
action. Gaining power to influence economic, political, social and ideological change will
inevitably involve the community in struggle with those already holding power. Within
a programmed context the role of the health promoting agency, at the request of the
community, is to build capacity, provide resources and help others to empower
themselves.

Objectives of Strategy two:

• Promote community development by providing motivation, education and proper


cognitive, democratic and social skills.
• Increase Palestinian communities’ capacities and resources to bring people together
around common goals and interests.
• Increase participation of the Palestinian communities in decision-making and problem-
solving processes.
• Enhance exchange and partnership with local, regional and international communities
and groups.
• Build up social capital.

Competitive Advantages of the Strategy:


• People centered, from the people to the people
• Rights based and action oriented
• Increases focus on cooperation and networking with local and international
organizations
• Promotes social justice, participation and ownership
• Promotes peer education and community involvement
• Empowers marginalized groups to take positive control of their own lives

COMMUNITY VISIONING
Community visioning is a planning tool that enables residents, business owners, local
institutions, and other stakeholders to have a voice in the decision-making process in their
community. A community visioning statement will communicate the goals and priorities of the
community and ideally inform future planning documents, regulations, and future
development.

What is a Community Vision?

Community Visioning is both a process and a statement. The initial process includes
discovering the kind of future your community wants by giving your residents the opportunity to
express their goals, objectives, and values honestly. Through this discovery, residents are given a
platform to discuss what they would like their community to look and feel like within the next five
to 10 years and come to a mutually agreed upon Vision.
The Vision statement is then used to guide strategic planning, decision making, and
government officials who will direct the future of the city.
Community visioning is the process of developing consensus about what future the
community wants, and then deciding what is necessary to achieve it. A vision statement captures
what community members most value about their community, and the shared image of what they
want their community to become. It inspires community members to work together to achieve
the vision. A thoughtful vision statement is one of the elements needed to form a forward looking
strategic framework that gives councils or boards the long-term-comprehensive perspective
necessary to make rational and disciplined tactical/incremental decisions on community issues as
they arise. Community vision statements are typically crafted through a collaborative process that
involves a wide variety of community residents, stakeholders and elected officials.

Community visioning offers local communities new ways to think about and plan for the
long-term future. The visioning process was inspired in part by the concept of “anticipatory
democracy,” an approach to governance that blends futures research, grassroots public
participation, and long-range strategic planning.
Visioning has caught on quickly around the country in communities undergoing rapid
growth and development as well as those experiencing economic decline. As an adjunct to
traditional community planning, visioning promotes greater awareness of societal change and
deepened citizen involvement. It also gives communities a stronger sense of control over their
destinies.

Vision Statement:
The primary product of the visioning process will be a Vision Statement to be
approved by the local planning board and adopted by the local governing body. This
statement, including suggested implementation strategies, will be submitted as a part of
the Plan Endorsement petition. Specific strategies and an action plan will then be
developed in cooperation with the Office of Smart Growth and relevant State agencies.
The vision will be incorporated into the next master plan update and implementation
mechanisms.

Tools for the Visioning Process:


Broad interactive public participation is essential for the success of the visioning
process and for building the necessary support to carry out the vision. For Plan
Endorsement, the State Planning Commission requires that municipalities provide a Vision
Statement and effective outreach and interactive activities used to develop a Community
Vision Statement. The visioning process should engage the public through a variety of tools
designed to be as interactive as possible, for example:
 Community surveys/questionnaires
 Community mapping exercises
 Focus groups/public forums
 Study circles
 Workshops
 Community tours
 Newsletters
 Special events
Each outreach tool should be designed to gain a broad public consensus regarding
the future of the community. The municipality shall summarize the tools utilized to achieve
broad public participation, and submit the summary with the adopted Vision Statement.

The Visioning Process:


Residents of various ages, ethnic backgrounds, genders, and occupations are
brought together in interactive sessions to share ideas. At the request of a municipality,
the Office of Smart Growth shall work with the Plan Endorsement Advisory Committee to
help get the process started. OSG does not want to do it for you, but rather do it with you
if you need our help. The Plan Endorsement Advisory Committee shall engage a facilitator
to guide the community through all public workshops and meetings. The facilitator should
be a licensed planner or have experience with community visioning processes and
concepts. Using the tools listed above, the Advisory Committee shall reach out to the
whole community to involve as many residents as possible in the entire process to gain
meaningful participation and input from interested parties in the municipality, county or
region. Groups that are appropriate to include:
 Neighborhood associations
 Public officials from the governing body, planning board , board of adjustment,
 board of health, environmental and historic commissions or committees
 Board of Education, parent-teacher associations (PTAs)
 Senior citizen groups
 Community organizations
 Chamber of Commerce
 Businesses/Business Associations
 Private property owners
 Housing and development interests/groups
 Farmers
 Environmental organizations
 Students
 Renters

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