Neighborhood planning

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In 1915, Robert E. Park and E. W. Burgess introduced the idea of "neighborhood" as an ecological concept with urban planning implications . Since then, many concepts and ideas of a neighborhood have emerged. Milton Kolter defines a neighborhood as, “…a political settlement of small territory and familiar association, whose absolute property is its capacity for deliberative democracy.” While most neighborhoods are difficult to define geographically, anyone who lives in an urban setting relates to an area that they call their neighborhood. As such, it is a useful level at which to engage in planning practice.

Neighborhood planning deals with a level of planning greater than household size but smaller than that of a city. In fact, one of the first steps in planning for a neighborhood is to define the boundaries of the neighborhood. This process can sometimes be problematic. It becomes difficult when some areas do not want certain streets or houses to be included in their neighborhood boundary. On the other hand, it can also be a problem if more than one neighborhood district attempts to claim a certain street or group of homes. Two less problematic ways in which to define neighborhood boundaries are by using natural objects like rivers and parks or by dividing up the city using information based on the census report. If all else fails, public meetings and surveys can help the decision making process.

After the boundaries of the plan are established, officials need to decide how to get the neighborhood involved with the planning process. Most people wrongly assume that a neighborhood plan will be done democratically. In reality, a city official may do all of the planning with minimal contact or input from the residents. The plan may also be done by a small, self-selected group of residents who ignore input from others in the neighborhood. Either way, without involvement of as many neighborhoods as possible, the outcome may lack critical information and perspectives and thus not fully represent the desires of the neighborhood residents. This may create problems for the community.

[edit] Public involvement

The whole point of neighborhood planning is to understand what individual neighborhoods want to become. To understand this, [participation|public participation] of neighbors is absolutely crucial. In reality, it is only at this level, where the actual number of parties is small, that true democratic decision making may be possible.

There are many strategies that may be used in order to involve the residents of the neighborhood in the planning process. One way is to utilize outreach methods in order to get the word out that planning is taking place. Another way to get the neighborhood involved is by colleting data and information about the area and how the residents use it. A third method is to actually have residents assist in the work for the planning process. A true democratic neighborhood plan includes all three methods.

Outreach Methods include five different techniques that may be used to inform the neighborhood that planning is taking place. The first type of method is personal contact and includes door-to-door visits and phone calls. This method is the most personalized, making it the most effective. It can also be the most time consuming. In order to cut back the time, it is suggested that a phone tree is used when personal calls take place and flyers be created to put on doors of houses that are visited.

The second type of method that can be used is the media. This method includes both the printed and electronic media. Many newspapers and radio stations will run a press release or public service announcement (PSA) if they receive the information in the proper time and form. If this does not work, an add spot in the paper or electronic media can usually be purchased.

The third form of outreach methods are field office/ drop-in centers. This involves having an actual place where members of the neighborhood can drop by and learn about the planning process (usually outside of a high traffic, high density area). These centers need to have an individual available to answer questions that neighbors may have. This is also a great opportunity to provide residents with surveys that would gather more information to assist the planners.

The fourth outreach method involves utilizing existing organizations as a way to inform residents on the planning process. This method can use varying strategies to accomplish its goal. One way is to obtain permission to insert brightly colored flyers into news publications or hang them in public offices or retail stores. Posters and papers displayed in public locations are a great way to utilize an existing organization.

The fifth and final form of outreach methods are displays at key settings. This method is similar to using flyers or advertisements as a way to inform residents of planning. However, is different in the way that it accomplishes this. This method involves using a large vacant lot or path of high traffic to display information to the neighbors. The lot needs to be in a central and busy area of the neighborhood in order to be effective. All of these methods are ways in which planners can collect information from members of the neighborhood, involving the neighborhood in the planning process.

[edit] Planning process

After a valid and useful information source has been established, collecting information becomes easier. Collecting information is the first step in neighborhood planning. Planners combine the information they have gathered from residents with other information they have obtained from personal observation and surveying the land. They use all of this information to create a large, more informative picture of the neighborhood.

The second step in the neighborhood planning process is making sense of the information. This entails pinpointing issues and establishing which issues are of major concern. Pinpointing issues helps to define which issues will take precedence if they should conflict with one another.

Setting goals is the third step of neighborhood planning. This step should come easily after certain issues and problems have been discovered. The goals that are set need to represent the community and what would best suit their interests.

The fourth step in the neighborhood planning process is to come up with alternatives and select among them. This involves the planning committee coming up with different alternatives for each goal. After these alternatives are established the committee will discuss and decide which alternatives are the best suited to reach the goals. Probably combining all alternatives in a way that benefits reaching all goals in the least loss-causing way would be the best alternative among all.

The fifth step of neighborhood planning is to put the plan together. Now that goals and policies have been established, strategies and specific courses of action need to be defined. This involves putting all of the elements together to create a plan.

The sixth step is to figure out how to implement the plan the committee has created. This requires the planning committee to decide what actions need to take place in order to effectively implement the plan. The committee needs to decide what resources are available, and ways in which to create more available resources. This step helps decide where funding and financial stability will come from.

The seventh and final step of neighborhood planning is monitoring, evaluating, and updating your plan. While this may be the final step of neighborhood planning, it does not mean that the planning process is finished. The committee still needs to take a look at the decisions they have made and decide which parts of the plan work and do not work. The plans that do not work should be revisited and revised. Because the plan can always be updated and changed, the process is never really finished. One thing is for sure, planning and sustaining a functional neighborhood is a process that involves generations of work and decision making.