Full Report - Knight Program in Community Building

2The Public Process and New UrbanismBy Jennifer Hurley | 2001 Knight Program FellowBioJennifer Hurley is a partnerwith Hurley Franks andAssociates, a planning andurban design firm inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania.AbstractThe phrase “public process” refers to a variety of situations related to publicinvolvement in planning and development decisions: public hearings with planningcommissions, zoning boards, and city councils; citizen task forces; and urbandesign charrettes. The public process as applied by New Urbanists offers greatbenefits and also presents some difficult problems. This report discusses whatNew Urbanists can learn from specialists in public participation and alternativedispute resolution, and what New Urbanists have to teach those same specialists.What Can Charrette Practitioners Learn from Consensus-Building?By learning from the experience of mediators and facilitators, charrette organizerscan leverage the event to create more support for the results, ultimatelyleading to more faithful implementation.• A robust theoretical basis for practice can inform the understanding of theprocess and suggest possibilities when problems arise.A close relationship between theory-building and practice development canenrich both. Since academics have shown little interest in charrette practice,practitioners should educate themselves about relevant theories, articulatehow theory can improve practice, and illuminate the holes in theory thatpractice uncovers.• Situating the charrette event in a larger decision-making framework thatincludes pre-charrette outreach and post-charrette consensus-buildingincreases the chances of implementation.Make sure a community is ready for a collaborative process like a charrette.Include considerations of politics and community organizing in the definitionof “ready.” Make sure key stakeholders will participate. Be clear about therules of engagement, the decision-making process and the role of the public.Especially in situations with high levels of conflict, make sure the keystakeholders agree with the scope and focus of the charrette.• Using the charrette to aid group learning and building civic capital will leveragethe event to develop local leaders who can champion the plan long afterthe event.Document the stakeholder input. Make notes from stakeholder meetings,and make those notes available in the charrette report or on a project website. Demonstrate how public comment influenced the products.