Face-to-face communication is the heart of community-based planning. But as more of us spend more time online, we are using web-based tools to broaden our reach and to inspire creative thinking about places that matter to people.
Our work with Imagine Westerville in Westerville, Ohio is a prime example. Following from a three-day kick-off workshop in in August, which was attended by nearly 250 people, we created an interactive, online forum for soliciting additional community input. Building off of the workshop, the web-based tool included four activities:
1. Evaluating principles and value statements – This activity asked citizens to rate how strongly they support each of a series of statements about the city’s intent for managing growth.
2. Shaping scenarios – This activity asked citizens to consider generally whether future development should follow the status quo or change in some way.
3. Mapping Westerville – Using a map interface, this activity allowed citizens to share input on strong places, weak places and areas of opportunity in Westerville.
4. Considering future character – This activity sought input on specific types of future character that might be appropriate in each of seven target areas.
One of the primary goals of this work was to shape the framework for the future land use plan and scenarios for how the city might develop. Preliminary scenarios developed from this input will be tested at the Community Choices workshop in December.
The images below illustrate the Mapping Westerville and Considering future character activities. Click the links to visit a live version of these pages.
see the map interface in action
