OUTSIDE IN - Home | DLR Group...the imagination, which helps shape common ground and differences to ultimately drive better design and decisions. Engagement isn’t just about coming

A GUIDEBOOK FOR COLLABORATIVE

COMMUNITY DESIGN.

OUTSIDE IN

CONTENTS

Introducing Community Engagement Delivery

Planning Review

Methods

01 04

02 05

03

What is community engagement? 4

Why community engagement? 5

Who is this guidebook for? 6

Planning for engagement 8

Best practices 9

Critical factors 10

Designing for delivery 29

Case studies 35

Human connection

Scales of engagement

Types of input

Types of outreach

Types of engagement

Evaluating engagement

Gathering information

Reporting out

Final thoughts

17

43

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44

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21

45

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GUIDEBOOK

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Who is this guidebook for?

Introduction 01What is community engagement?

Why community engagement?

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What is community engagement?Community engagement is characterized by a wide array of practice, theory, and perspective. Different industries, professions, organizations, and individuals have varying understandings of what constitutes community engagement. While there are many descriptions defining what community engagement is, fundamentally it is a practice designed to listen to and learn from communities based on a shared desire to conceptualize better solutions.

“Community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar situations to address issues affecting the wellbeing of those people. It is a powerful vehicle for bringing about environmental and behavioral changes that will improve the health of the community and its members. It often involves partnerships and coalitions that help mobilize resources and influence systems, change relationships among partners, and serve as catalysts for changing policies, programs, and practices” (from the CDC publication Principles, 1997, p.9).

Community engagement is part of an integrated process that establishes active partnerships as opposed to passive recipients. Co-designing with communities levels the playing field and informs the imagination, which helps shape common ground and differences to ultimately drive better design and decisions.

Engagement isn’t just about coming up with the outcome you want. Engagement is about getting to know your neighbors, talking to real people and trying to understand what the world looks like through someone else’s eyes. At the end of the day, life is about people and engagement is about learning how to make progress, together.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GUIDEBOOK 01

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Why community engagement?As cities continue to become bigger, more densely populated, and more diverse, the built environment needs to prioritize personal relationships and community perspective more than ever before. In both the private and public realm, organizations are discovering that consumers, citizens, and communities all have pivotal roles to play in developing better solutions for the physicals spaces we create.

The success of built environment projects, or lack of success in built environment projects, are grounded in the extent to which the designer is embedded in the community and the community is embedded in the process.

As design professionals we are obliged to respond to this need, find solutions, and to lead the process. How do we learn to design WITH people, not just FOR people? By building a platform for individuals to come together, cultivating diverse perspectives and integrating expert knowledge across different sectors, engagement forges a path towards better outcomes for our communities.

From a service design perspective, community engagement drives more efficient and human centered solutions which can meet real needs and reflect community values. Furthermore, engagement helps to strengthen democracy and empower citizens while building relationships and social capital. People have a right to participate in the decisions that affect their lives. Community engagement provides both designer and citizen with the agency to impact the decisions which can ultimately lead to change for the better.


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Who is this guidebook for?By and large, DLR Group is already practicing community engagement across many sectors, but there has been little opportunity to collectively understand community engagement for projects firm-wide.

This guidebook publication is a first for DLR Group, and is designed to provide shared learning across the firm for community engagement practices. It is not a detailed ‘how to’ guide, nor is it a comprehensive outline of what every process should look like. It is an introductory document with a collection of practices, approaches, and methods that have worked in previous contexts. This guidebook provides a starting framework to community engagement for all DLR Group employees to utilize on their projects, without having to reinvent the wheel each time.

This document was compiled with the understanding that every community engagement process looks different. Engagement encompasses everything from re-thinking the project decision-making mechanisms, to utilizing methods of gathering input from different stakeholders, and then connecting those inputs with design decisions that can shape the final outcome. The dynamics of engagement are often more suitable for particular sectors of work. But regardless of sector or region, community engagement can provide value to any design process that is tackling complex problems.

The intent of this document is to help people understand the value and practical considerations in engagement, so that collectively the process can be improved, fostering a community-based practice that continues to elevate the human experience.


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Critical factors

Best practices

Planning for engagement

Planning 02COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GUIDEBOOK

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Planning for EngagementSuccessful community engagement starts with planning. There is no single model or recipe for planning community engagement efforts. With that said, the earlier the planning process begins the better. The biggest obstacle to achieving quality community engagement is the time required to effectively design and deliver the entire process. Setting up a planning group and establishing a timeline are some of the first steps towards achieving a quality outcome. Decisive planning must take place throughout the lifetime of a project. From the quality of planning that precedes an event, to the planning on how to handle the outputs from community interactions, to the planning that connects outputs with design decision making. Planning for engagement is the foundation of a successful outcome.

The outcomes of planning for engagement are a function of purpose, context, scope, participants and process. Consideration of these factors will help to inform the design of engagement events and selection of appropriate types of community activities. Likewise, identifying the desired outcome will help to identify which methods of engagement are most likely to deliver those outcomes. Understanding the critical factors that influence the outcome as early as possible smooths the planning process and paves the path towards engagement’s success.


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Successful community engagement must have guiding principles that are considered throughout the planning process. A number of organizations and experts have identified best practices that are followed by effective community engagement practitioners. In practice, these principles, and others, are applied in a variety of ways depending on the community or issue.

1. Careful Planning and Preparation. Through adequate and inclusive planning ensure that the design and organization of the process serve a clearly defined purpose and the needs of the participants.

2. Inclusion and Demographic Diversity. Equitably incorporate diverse people, voices, ideas, and information to lay the groundwork for quality outcomes and democratic legitimacy.

3. Collaboration and Shared Purpose. Support and encourage all participants, governments, organizations, and community institutions to work together to advance the common good.

4. Openness and Learning. Encourage everyone involved to listen to one another, explore new ideas, and rigorously evaluate community engagement activities for effectiveness.

5. Transparency and Trust. Be clear and open about the process and goals, and provide a public record of the organizers, sponsors, outcomes, views and ideas expressed.

6. Impact and Action. Ensure each engagement effort has real potential to make a difference, and that participants are aware of that potential.

7. Sustained Engagement and Participatory Culture. Promote a culture of participation with programs and institutions that support ongoing quality community engagement.

Best Practices


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The following pages include descriptions of five critical factors that drive the outcomes of community engagement.


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02

What is the purpose of your engagement?

Community engagement requires understanding and solving complex issues. Clarifying the problem, and defining the why of engagement will help you dive a little deeper into the problem. The purpose of community engagement should be clearly defined by the team, including desired outputs and outcomes. Outcomes are ultimately about what you want to achieve, while outputs define how you will achieve the outcomes.

It is critical that all members with influence or interest in the process are in alignment with the purpose. A clear purpose creates a commonly shared understanding of the project and its potential impacts, which helps drive project priorities throughout the life of the project. Purpose ensures that the right decision-making mechanisms are in place to reach the desired outcomes. Furthermore, a clear purpose allows the community to make an informed choice about getting involved. Some examples of purpose for a project could include the following:

Involve and engage the communityExplore issues and generate new ideasReach a consensusNetwork and share ideas


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02

Community engagement must always be understood in relation to the broader context. Understanding different community groups, social issues, language, diversity of experience, cultural norms, geography, and economic challenges are all factors to consider when it comes to context. Getting to know a community from within will familiarize the designer with the people and the place in a new light that forms new ground for discovery, collaboration, and empowerment. It is within the wider context that engagement finds relevance and locality that can build upon the history and culture of a community.

The local context takes time, but the benefits of this type of understanding are imperative in establishing personal relationships and facilitating meaningful engagement with a community. It is also important to realize that communities will have their own needs and biases coming into this process. So leave some time and space to build on a shared understanding of context for the community that you serve.

What is the context?


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02

Clarity of scope is one of the single most important factors of any community engagement process. Different understandings of scope and purpose within a team or organization can be damaging to the process as a whole. Understanding what is negotiable and what the community can take on between the client and the team and the community helps to eliminate wasted time in discussion. More community engagement is not necessarily better. Asking some simple yet key questions can go a long way towards understanding the boundaries of what is achievable and appropriate. Consider the following:

Is engagement appropriate at all? How much can really change? What level of participation is being sought?

What is the scope of your engagement?


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02

Who are the participants? In order to maintain the integrity of one’s engagement process, selecting the right participants is an important first step. It is important to differentiate between the following:

Citizens include the society or public at large who may have a right or interest to be involved or take part in the decisions that will affect their lives.

Consumers are the users of products and services, typically established within the private sector. Consumers can often be considered together with citizens.

Communities are composed of citizens and consumers, which can be defined by systems of categorization based on identity, geography, culture, religion, ethnicity, etc.

Stakeholders are organizations or individuals that are either affected by the impacts of a design, or who can influence the design outcome.

Considering the scope and context of your engagement process, it’s important to strike a balance with your participants. Maintaining the legitimacy of an engagement process requires an accurate representative cross-section of the people within a community. Know your audience. If engagement is accessible to the hardest to reach, then it will be accessible to everyone.


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02

Process is the culmination of purpose, context, scope, and participants which defines the structure and timeline of community engagement. Knowing who to involve, when to involve them, and how to involve them over the course of the design process requires a holistic understanding of the process. When comparing different project types such as K-12 or workplace, the process of engagement will look very different. For example, bond planning is a standard part of the K-12 design process that determines whether a project will move forward. Community engagement in commercial projects, on the other hand, may need to factor in a variety of timelines from different community members and stakeholders. These factors can vary in different contexts as well, and may change over time as some jurisdictions are beginning to require community engagement for all project types.

What is the process?


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02

Types of Outreach

Types of Engagement

Human Connection

Scales of Engagement

Types of Input

Methods 03COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GUIDEBOOK

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Human ConnectionThe crux of any community engagement method rests upon human connection. While the input of a community may involve mechanistic methods of collecting information, the essence of engagement comes back to our shared humanity. Understanding and addressing the complexities and contradictions of working with people is a matter of finding common ground.

Genuine connection starts by engaging people as people, and inviting them to sit down and express ideas and see what sticks and what doesn’t stick.

Part of it is us, we have to be good at listening. We have to good at absorbing other viewpoints, and that takes a lot of emotional intelligence. Understanding how to hone and grow that is really important for everyone who is involved in community engagement.

If the climate of an outreach event does not support active listening, mutual learning or development of everyone involved, engagement methods will fail regardless of how well they are planned. From the start, people should feel that their opinions are valued, and that their participation makes a difference. Design for participation demands deeper exploration by the professional.


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Scales of EngagementCommunity engagement takes place at a variety of scales. Each scale is appropriate for different circumstances, with the end goal of increasing the level of public awareness and participation. Informing aims to provide the public with balanced and objective information to assist them in understanding the issues, alternatives, opportunities, and/or solutions. Consulting is a way of obtaining public feedback on analysis, alternatives, and/or decisions. Involving begins to work with the public throughout the process to ensure that public aspirations and concerns are consistently understood and considered. Collaboration is where partnership occurs, and where the public is included in each aspect of the decision including the development of alternatives and the identification of the preferred solution. Finally, empowering places final decision making in the hands of the public.

In order to effectively implement engagement methods, it is important to understand the scale of your engagement, which ties to the purpose and scope of the project. At every scale however, the process of community engagement is the same. It’s having a sincere interest in listening and learning without an agenda, and then through that process of listening and learning, being able to extract data, and apply technical and design expertise to create something that meets a need.

InformLow level of public

engagement

InvolveMid level of public

engagement

EmpowerHigh level of public

engagement

Consult Collaborate


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Types of InputCollecting inputs inform design decisions that influence the final outcomes of a community engagement process. Inputs are the tangible products of an outreach event, providing building blocks that help to create both the desired outcomes and overall success of a project. Input is composed of data or facts that can be collected, synthesized, interpreted, and analyzed in order to answer questions that move the process closer to reaching its objective. Defining the types of input are important because they help in the selection of engagement methods, as different methods are conducive to different types of information. Defining inputs also help assist the designer in connecting how the types of input will lead to the desired outcomes. This in turn helps establish the timeline for engagement so that the right inputs are collected at the right time.

Text(field notes, comment cards, quotes, etc.)

Numbers(statistics, metrics, etc.)

Photos Video or Audio Recordings

Artifacts(posters, info flyers, maps, etc.)


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Types of OutreachWithin the engagement design process, the scales of engagement, types of methods and types of input should be collectively understood in relation to the type of outreach. These factors will play out differently depending on the type of project and the nature of its implementation. Some common types of outreach are shown below.

Bond Planning Eventseducating citizens on capital campaigns, inviting the community to weigh in on tax plans to garner support before a vote

Community Design Charettesa brief, intensive design study engaging diverse public interests with a project that addresses pressing issues in a community

Panel Discussionsa guided discussion regarding a specific topic amongst a select group of panelists who share their perspectives with the audience

Town Hallsa forum where public officials or project leaders can answer questions and hear from the members of the public on topics of interest

Design Open Houseintroducing projects to the public while providing a space to listen to ideas and feedback

Design Symposiumsa program of in-depth education, panel discussions, tours, presentations, and various other programs to explore a project with a community

User Group Engagementa variety or combination of activities used to provide metrics around specific products or designs in relation to the end user or community

Ribbon Cutting Ceremonya ceremony marking the official opening of a newly-constructed project or the start of an event

InformLow level of public

engagement

InvolveMid level of public

engagement

EmpowerHigh level of public

engagement

Consult Collaborate


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Types of EngagementFive conventional structures to guiding engagement and outreach include presentations, open discussions, managed discussions, status reports, and brainstorm sessions. Within this structure there are a numerous array of approaches that can be taken, played upon, and improved. This list extends beyond the conventional as well. Both formal and informal methods of engagement are often used together to achieve a specific outcome. Every method has its strengths and weaknesses. The key is to select the appropriate method that is suited for the particular purpose and context. Any discussion of engagement that focuses on methods alone is prone to failure. With this in mind, it is also important to note that engagement can have value regardless of the methods selected, or their overall contributions to the success of a project. For example, transparency in outreach can build trust within a community, which has value even if the engagement itself does not amount to much. It’s important to make clear distinctions between intangible as well as tangible measures of process design.

PresentationManaged

DiscussionOpen

DiscussionStatus Report

Brainstorm Session


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The following pages include five examples of different types of engagement methods. There are of course many more.


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03

Visual Timeline The Visual Timeline method uses a timeline format to reveal the history of why particular problems in a particular place came to be from a community perspective. This is an especially useful tool for shifting the dominant narrative in marginalized communities. Creating a Visual Timeline requires goal setting with community partners, analyzing data, and applying artistic design. The approach is a form of presentation that leverages community engaged research to explain linkages between policy decision, historical events, and community outcomes. Visual Timelines organize information while reinforcing community knowledge combined beautiful representation.

Some key goals of a visual timeline could include the following:1. 1. Validate community knowledge and experience through structured inquiry2. Create awareness about the structural causes of community problems3. Build positive momentum around community action

Inform Consult CollaborateInvolve Empower

Presentation


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03

Start By Listening Community engagement often begins with a desire to help a community. As outsiders, we may perceive something to be missing or some way that our skills could be useful. However, if our efforts miss the larger picture they can do more harm than good. Starting by listening is an effective method of engagement to understand the context and unique needs of a particular community. This technique uses present, engaged listening and open discussion to understand a community’s needs and desires, providing a chance for participants to tell their stories without being prejudiced by a designer’s assessments and intentions. By setting aside the designer’s agenda, it creates space to understand a community’s underlying values and to solicit direct, honest feedback. This knowledge, conscientiously interpreted, provides the designer with a framework to guide the next steps of action.


Open Discussion


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03

Kitchen Table Discussions Kitchen Table Discussions are not votes to be tallied. It’s not about the number of people supporting or opposing a certain side of an issue, it is about capturing informed and considered ideas, along with views and opinions that assist with conceiving a solution.

Kitchen Table Discussions involve a small group of people who get together and talk. The setting can be informal, and participants don’t need to be an expert on the subject. What people need is a willingness to listen and share ideas that are aimed at developing solutions that work for everybody. Below are some guidelines to support a respectful and understanding enviroment.1. 1. Duration2. Open-mindedness3. Acceptance4. Curiosity5. Discovery6. Sincerity7. Be Brief8. Have a Time Keeper


Managed Discussion


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03

The Investigative Reporter The Investigative Reporter builds narratives to highlights important community issues. Community participants identify issues to be explored, formulate questions that will help them to learn more about these issues, and record interviews with other community members. Participants practice and hone their new skills with one another after learning the basics of conducting an interview and how to operate a video recorder. Community members to be interviewed are identified and investigative assignments undertaken. These reports are shared with one another, the design team, and the broader community.

This process is ideal for actively engaging community members while giving them control over the identification of problems, questions, and the collection of information. Videos produced by the members of the community informs internal and external perceptios while transforming the design process as a whole.


Status Report


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03

Spatial Design Game The Spatial Design Game is a small-group decision-making process that builds competence through the transfer of design principles. Participants, aided by game pieces prepared in advance, make choices about activities, hold positions, debate priorities and spatial arrangements, and create a plan for design action. There are three interconnected stages in the process, with accompanying rules that require consensus decisions at each step. First, participants make individual choices, followed by group discussion and agreement about objectives. Then they match activities to satisfy their objectives. The activities and objectives are used to do space planning where participants place graphic symbols representing the activies on a plan.

Spatial design games instills an awareness of the design process which allows communities to be more effective collaborators with design professionals. This in turn helps to inform critical decisions and create agreements that move the project and community forward.


Brainstorm Session


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03

Delivery 04Designing for Delivery

Seattle Center Arena

Canyon View

Mapping the Square

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Designing for DeliveryOnce all of the key issues have been established, designing for delivery is the final step towards implementing engagement at a higher level of resolution. The time required to effectively design and deliver a process is arguably one of the biggest obstacles to quality community engagement. Creating a plan for delivery can help the design team implement engagement processes in an effective manner that meets the project goals and desired outcomes. The steps for delivery might include the following:

Step 1. Establish a Team

Step 2. Develop a Plan

Step 3. Coordinate logistics

Step 4. Strategize Communication

Step 5. Follow Up


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Establish a Team A formal planning group allocates responsibilities, and equips team members with the necessary subject knowledge, experience, and training to deliver engagement processes. Ideally, this group should be established early on, which will create early buy-in and ensure that the process planning is taken seriously while being programmed into the schedules of all team members. While teams may be composed primarily of internal professionals, involving external contractors may be necessary to address the complexities of a given project.

In some cases, external professionals such as facilitators can be valuable team members acting as mediators or referrees for controversial issues. Facilitators enable groups to explore issues and craft solutions to complex issues within a community. In other contexts, it may be necessary to acquire support from lawyers, planning aid networks, non-profits, or local organizations who have a more specific understanding of the systems at work in a community. Altogether, the members of a planning & design group should work towards the creation of a project plan.


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04

Develop a Plan The project plan should be seen as a guiding document that will help the team in delivering the framework to meet a project’s desired outcomes. It is an execution oriented document composed of strategies and steps that will ensure the team stays on track in every stage of the project. Agreeing to a project plan resolves important details concerning timeline, budget, key dates and actions, along with the methods applied throughout the process of engagement. Prioritization of project details and the application of decision making methodologies are necessary to maintain the initial vision and goals for community engagement along the way. Every goal should be met with strategies that are acceptable and accessible to a majority of stakeholders and community members.

Remember to be realistic about the length of time it takes for decision making and planning, and for people to get involved. Communicate early and often so that participants within a community engagement process can set aside the appropriate time to get involved. Lastly, tracking the project plan as it is executed is essential community engagement as a whole. Check-ins at each stage along with written or visual documentation provide materials that are extremely useful for the final review and evaluation of the engagement process.


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04

Coordinate Logistics For each type of engagement being planned, there are many practical arrangements that must be made to adequately prepare for implementing engagement. Make preprations to organize all program elements for engagement such as the venue, transportation, briefing materials, personnel and collateral requirements. Suitable venues are necessary for any workshop or public meeting, so it is important to be cognisant of the various needs that a process will require, and to ensure that the facility has the capacity to meet the needs of everyone involved. In order to participate effectively, stakeholders and community members need materials communicating information which will attract the participation that is desired.

Consider the nature and makeup of the group as a whole and its members individually. Wherever possible, design materials that present information into small manageable chunks while applying user friendly language and graphics with the particular group in mind. Identify which team members will fulfill certain roles such as registration, facilitator, equipment setup, note taker, time keeper, etc. Reviewing all of these elements in an organized agenda will ensure that everything is in line in order for the engagement to run smoothly and successfully.


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04

Strategize Communication A plan for communication should be used throughout the entire engagement process. At the start to generate interest, during the process to keep people informed, and at the end to communicate the impact of engagement. Effective, on-going, and well-planned communications help maintain relationships, information flows, and momentum established throughout the engagement process. Be clear about the goals and purposes of communication, and find ways to measure the effectiveness of each medium that is used. Craft your message to fit the particulars of each group, whether you are using flyers, bulk mailers, Eventbrites, advertisements, or E-blasts.

There are many other communication methods available as well, but selecting the most effective method will depend on the types of information you want to convey, what your audiences need/want to know, and how they are likely to prefer to access your information. It is likely there will be many different types of groups you want to reach as well. Implementing a successful communication strategy should involve a diversity of digital and physical marketing tools with key dates and deadlines, along with the frequency to ensure messages are developed in a timely, effective, and professional manner. Finally, evaluate the effectiveness of the communication strategy to make the appropriate improvements and adjustements for the project at hand as well as projects in the future.


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04

Follow Up Following up is one of the most important and often overlooked steps in implementing community engagement. Follow up communicates the impact of engagement to all parties involved, while establishing a process of review that is needed to improve engagement processes in the future. From the start, planning for engagement needs to consider what the criteria for successful engagement should be and how the final outcomes will be reported back to the participants and surrounding community. Revisiting the initial criteria for success can be useful to examine outcomes, impacts, and summarize the overall performance of the engagement methods used. A more detailed description of the review process will be covered in the next section of this guidebook.


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04

The following pages include three case studies of community engagement conducted by DLR Group. Each project demonstrates different timelines of delivery, while illustrating how community engagement can improve outcomes for both the project and surrounding community.


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04


Project Description

The Seattle Center Arena was built for the 1962 World’s Fair. It was renovated and expanded in 1995, and is now being renovated and expanded again to meet current NBA, WNBA and NHL arena standards and be a world-class 21st century venue for music and performance events.

DLR Group was brought on by the private developer as the local architect as the local architect for the redesign, guiding the design architect, Populous, through the entitlement and public engagement process. A robust community outreach program was created, which included two large community open houses, an interactive online survey, and a comprehensive community outreach report documenting community input.

Open House 1


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JunProject Awarded, Engagement Initiative Planning


Trace Your Path Activities Community Engagement & The Outcome

The open houses introduced the project team to the public and provided a space to listen to ideas and feedback, ensuring that the new Arena would contribute to Seattle Center as a community gathering space at the heart of Seattle. The presence of design team members to discuss ideas and possibilities directly with attendees helped to inform the project team’s design decisions moving forward.

The public outreach work completed by DLR Group helped produce a holistic design incorporating the essential needs of each community while balancing the disparate scales of community around the project site.

2019

2018

2020

2017

OctOpen House 1User Input, Context Research

FebOpen House Preparation

AprOpen House Report Distributed

FebGroundbreaking

NovOpen House Report Distributed

MarOpen House 2 Generate Public Buy-InArts Plan Release

DecCD Complete

SepOpen House Preparation

Programming + Design Contract Documents Construction


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Co-Creating with Educators & Designers | TimelineParticipatory Design. Imagination to Integration. Programmatically ambitious, architecturally challenged with a modest budget, Canyon View High School fosters academic and curricular exploration by expanding the definition of a ‘place-based’ high school. Guided by the heavy involvement of local businesses, government officials, parents, students, and community members – the school was built through a journey of collaboration. In total, over 480 of the project’s stakeholders participated in community meetings to create three bold ideas and five guiding principles prior to conceptualizing the design. The future place-based learning at Canyon View High School was thoughtfully crafted with aspirational consensus to consider the project as a unique invention – with the student experience at its proverbial center.

COMMUNITY MEETINGS included architects, engineers, community members, business partners, government agencies and district leadership - all aspired to treat the project as a unique invention. Together they developed a path forward that shaped the outcome of Canyon View High School.

2016

2017

2018

2019

2015

Spring

OctNov

Dec

Jan

Feb Mar

Apr Jun

Nov

Dec

Jan

Bold

Nov

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Oct

JunDD Complete

CD Complete

GMP Approved

Groundbreaking

Installed Bio Phase Change Material Experiment

BOLD Mission, Vision, and Common Language BOLD Meetings

on Scheduling and Flexibility

Flexible Furniture Package Finalized

BOLD Tours of Exemplar Facilities

BOLD Goals Set for First Year

Occupancy, BOLD Learner and Educator Profiles Complete

First Day of School, Ribbon Cutting

Hosted ILETC International Conference

State AZMerit Test Scores for First Class; Administration Retreat on Successes and Next Goals

Bond Master Planning with Community Input

XQ Prize- Full Day Summit with Community Members, Educators, Students and Administration

Bond Passed

Student Shadowing- DLR Group for 2 Days at Neighboring High SchoolVALUES Sustainability CoLab

Tours of Exemplar FacilitiesXQ Prize Round 2

Programming Workshops

2 Day Design Charrette with Owner and Stakeholders

SD Complete, CMAR Selected

Post OccupancyConstructionContract DocumentsProgramming + DesignPre-Bond

School & Community Engagement

Canyon ViewHigh School

Project Description

To support the District’s vision of a new school that “blurs the lines between ages and abilities...fosters authentic learning and curricular exploration” – a team of educators, designers, engineers, community members, and researchers set out to turn the traditional collaborative process into an experimental, co-creative journey. In the design of this new 231,000 SF high school, the traditional boundaries of teaching and learning were expanded to create the best possible learning environment for students and teachers.

Guided by the heavy involvement of local businesses, government officials, parents, students, and community members – the school was built through a journey of collaboration. Over 480 of the project’s stakeholders participated in community meetings to create three bold ideas and five guiding principles prior to conceptualizing the physical design.

Community Meetings


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Design Charrettes

Canyon ViewHigh School

Community Engagement & The Outcome

Community meetings included architects, engineers, community members, business partners, government agencies and district leadership - all aspired to treat the project as a unique invention. Three consecutive weeks were spent exploring facilities throughout the region to understand how spaces supported and enabled different types of educational curriculum. This was followed by design charrettes which allowed the team to test ideas, fine tune concepts, and develop iterative design options that were tested agains the guiding principles. The collaborative process helped to establish Canyon View as a new way of school for the future of teaching and learning.

Post-poccupancy research paired with change management training continued as part of a lager effort to bridge the connection between design and performance. Through a B.O.L.D. (Bridging Organization, Learning and Design) process, new school faculty engaged in professional development to align the school’s culture and values to the physical environment to further the mission and allow intended partnerships and relationships to take place.

SpringBond Master Planning with Community Input

MarBOLD Meetings on Scheduling and Flexibility

AugFirst Day of School, Ribbon Cutting

JanTours of Examplar Facilities

DecGMP Approved

JunBOLD Goals Set for First Year

Dec2-Day Student Shadowing

DecBOLD Mission, Vision, and Common Language

Pre-Bond Programming + Design Contract Documents Construction BOLD Post Occupancy

OctoberFull Day Summit with Community Members, Educators, Students and Administration

MayBOLD Tours of Exemplar Facilities

NovBond Passed

FebProgramming Workshops

JulOccupancy: BOLD Learner and Educator Profiles Complete

Mar2 Day Design Charrette with Owner and Stakeholders

NovCD Complete

JanGroundbreaking

2015

2019

2017

2016

2018


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Project Description

Map the Square is a physical art installation and digital interactive urban mapping project that elevates public conversation around design and the built environment in Pioneer Square at the heart of downtown Seattle. The project emerged out of a desire to address the stark contrasts in the urban environment of Pioneer Square. Art galleries, boutique restaurants, high-end housing and tech startups are contrasted by homelessness, development limitations, mental health facilities and lack of urban-enahancing amenities. A design team formed by the Young Architects forum of Seattle AIA sought to influence the future change of empty or under-utilized properties in this neighborhood by inviting the public voice.

Several questions were brought up by the design team during a week long physical installation coinciding with the Seattle Design Festival’s block party. How can we help the public and local stakeholders articulate problems in the urban built environment in this neighborhood? How can we strengthen the voice of inhabitants, businesses, tourists, and caretakes of Pioneer Square in the discusison and development of their neighborhood? What design elements will transform Pioneer Square into a more vibrant, socially sustainable urban environment?

Co-Generation of Public Space

Mapthe Square


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SepGroup brainstorm sessions on the theme of Design Change for the 2016 SDF

May-JunBi-weekly meetings Conversations with community groups clarified the need for public input on changes to Pioneer Square

AugInstallation production, business partnerships for hosting kiosks and social media development

OctData analysis, community input collected, and reported out

2016

2017

Community Engagement & The Outcome

As part of a larger effort led by Alliance for Pioneer Squrare, and with the partnership of several local businesses, kiosks were displayed in front of neighborhood storefronts. Each kiosk was designed in a playful and approachapble way to empower the public to stop, look and interact with the colored tage elements and the neighborhood, asking the public to show where they felt a change could take place. Participation was encouraged through social media using #map the square, providing a digital and networked conversation around the exercise. All feedback was tracked through an online mapping system which is now available as a permanent record for the public, business owners and city official to use as a guideline for development.

Public Input Installations

Mapthe Square

FebRecruitment from YAF HH series to join mapping project for the Seattle Design Festival (SDF)

Apr-JunPartnerships struck with Alliance for Pioneer Square, conversations started with community stakeholders

SepSDF Block Party. 8 kiosks installed at local business sites. 2 parking day installations created, with daily social media updates and reports.

NovMap the Square given AIA Honor Award

JulPrototype testing, presentation to YAF and architecture community


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Gathering Information

Reporting Out

Final Thoughts

Evaluating Engagement

Review 0542


Evaluating community engagement is beneficial for both the community and the planning team. As with any successful design process, planning a formal evaluation and review ensures that information and learning is gathered from the work both as it happens and at the end of the project. Evaluation should be conducted not simply to prove that a project worked, but also to improve the way it works. Develop an evaluation plan as early as possible. Planning for evaluation can be useful to have as an independent system of review working alongside the engagement as it happens. This provides a system of management that can objectively collect information from different groups, and continuously evaluate whether the process is meeting the purpose and goals set out at the start. It is a method of accountability as well as a management and learning tool for engagment projects, stakeholders, and practitioners.

Evaluation might include whether the engagement process met the initial objectives and goals of the project. Evaluation might also determine whether the methods or techniques were appropriate, or whether the responses from the community legimitized the exercise. Three primary goals of engagement should include the following: to inform the development activities and programs, to improve the success of future efforts, and to assess the outcomes and impacts of activities and programs. This process can be completed at a project level, organization level, and in clusters to understand larger systemic relationships between community engagement and project outcomes.

Evaluating Engagement


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Gathering InformationThe review process only works if it includes perspectives of all the parties involved – those leading the process, stakeholders, decision makers, and the participants. Therefore, gathering information is one of the most important elements in the evaluation and review of community engagement. Gathering information involves a range of short to long term metrics which could include methods such as surveys, case studies, interviews, or focus groups. A logic model can be used to map the relationships between inputs, outputs, and outcomes, which can provide structure to how information is collected. Consider the method of collecting information, the types of input being gathered, and how suitable it is for the intended audience. Determine what information is critical and how easily this information can be gathered from the community involved.

A key element in the review process is establishing a benchmark, or a baseline of metrics that can be monitored to indicate the most important outcomes of the project for the team. Benchmarks might include formative evaluation metrics such as inclusivity, public satisfaction, transparency or trust. It might also use summative evaluation metrics such as the social, economic, or environmental impact, volunteer time and effort, or policy influence. Since the results of engagement are often both qualitative and quantitative, the review of the process should reflect all of these metrics.

Collectively, the information gathered establishes an iterative and flexible approach to evaluating community engagement, all of which is useful for evaluation and review.

Outcomes - ImpactInputsProgram InvestedWhat is invested

OutputsActivities

What we do What resultsShort term Medium term Long termParticipation

Who we reach


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Reporting OutA final report is a comprehensive review of the information gathered which is evaluated and shared with all parties involved in the engagement process. Not only is reporting out an essential piece of communication with the community, it maximizes the opportunity for learning and future development.

Different groups may be looking for different information in a report, so it is important to shape reports with the audience in mind to tell the story effectively. Stakeholders may want to understand the number of people reached, or the community-level impact of the project. The project team might want to understand the results to inform future programs and efforts. For any audience, the fundamental elements of reporting out should include what was done, what was heard, and what are the next steps. Within these elements, the report should cover the scope, purpose, context, who was involved, outputs, outcomes, impacts, etc.

While inclusion of a review process may increase costs, a robust final report goes a long way in communicating the value of community engagement and managing the views and perspectives of every party that has a stake in the project. For communty engagement practices to develop, the practice of shared learning and reporting out mustbe shared as widely and effectively as possible.


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Final ThoughtsDesign is embedded within a set of constraints. For community engagement, this is no different. Every process of engagement must operate within practical limitations including money, time, skills, staffing, accessibility, locations, and the unique characteristics of communities. Whether the issues are large or small, a good community engagement plan can make a big difference in the process and outcomes of a project. A strategic plan for engagement can improve the ability to inform citizens and stakeholders, gather input, identify problems, and generate solutions. All of this can be achieved if intentional collaboration and co-generation with the community is prioritized from the beginning. If the design profession started the conversation from the community’s perspective, it could change the entire practice.

With this in mind, it is essential that the ethics of engagement processes are considered. The basis of engagement rests upon human connection and building trust. Establishing a clear ethical framework for the process of engagement is inherent to creating a positive impact on both the project and the surrounding community. For the majority of its existence, the ethical framework for DLR Group has been focused on elevating the human experience through design. This framework has been achieved through the brand promise of listen. DESIGN. deliver. No matter what we do, if we don’t listen we’re not going to be very good designers. It doesn’t matter how good the design is, the needs of a community will fail to be met if no one is listening. Listening as the first step is what community engagement is all about, and that has been the success of DLR Group, by recognizing the simple task of doing those three things. LISTEN. design deliver.

Good luck with your community engagement.


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Recharge the Battery Aaron Asis 07 March

DLR Group Amy Vohs 12 March

DLR Group Bonnie Sanborn 08 April

DLR Group Chris Gibbs 13 March

DLR Group Danile DeBoo 01 April

DLR Group Dina Sorensen 07 March

DLR Group Eric Beron 22 March

DLR Group Griff Davenport 05 April

DLR Group Jose Sanchez 05 March

OnPoint Real Jaebadiah Gardner 09 JulEstate Services

DLR Group Kelly Mabry 09 Jul

DLR Group Ken West 03 April

DLR Group Lisa Johnson 10 Jul

DLR Group Mariana Lavezzo 11 March

DLR Group Marilyn Denison 21 March

DLR Group Marsha Crockett 20 Feb

Seattle Waterfront Marshall Foster 09 Jul

City of Seattle Matthew Richter 09 Jul

Center for Architecture Megan Harmon 28 Feb& Design

Downtown Seattle Monica Yburra 10 JulAssociation

DLR Group Pat Phelan 07 March

DLR Group Raechel French 09 April

DLR Group Rico Quirindongo 02 April

DLR Group Scott Cryer 15 March

DLR Group Stephanie Meyer 06 March

InterviewsThe research for this guidebook involved a series of interviews carried out over the course of 2019. A diversity of voices from 25 community engagement practitioners provided input that helped to shape this document.

Organization Individual Date Organization Individual Date


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References Used in this GuidebookAlter, Driver, Frumento, Howard, Shufstall and Whitmer (2017) Community engagement for collective action: a handbook for practitioners. Invasive Animals CRC, Australia.

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Committee on Community Engagement (2011) Principles of Community Engagement: Second Edition Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry https://www atsdr cdc gov/communityengagement/pdf/PCE_Report_508_FINAL pdf

De la Pena, D., Allen, D. J., Hester, R. T., Jr., Hou, J., Lawson, L. J., & McNally, M. J. (Eds.). (2017). Design as Democracy: Techniques for Collective Creativity. Washington, DC: Island Press.

International Association for Public Participation. (n.d.). Retrieved May 27, 2019, from https://www.iap2.org/

Map the Square. (n.d.). Society for Experiental Graphic Design. Retrieved July 29, 2019, from https://segd.org/map-square

McCandless, K., & Lipmanowicz, H. (n.d.). Liberating Structures. Retrieved June 4, 2019, from http://www.liberatingstructures.com/ls/

National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD), International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), and the Co-Intelligence Institute (2009) Core Principles for Public Engagement http://ncdd org/rc/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/PEPfnal-expanded pdf

People and Participation: How to put citizens at the heart of decision making. (2005). Retrieved May 2, 2019, from https://www.involve.org.uk/sites/default/files/field/attachemnt/People-and-Participation.pdf

Stickdorn, M., Hormess, M., Lawrence, A., & Schneider, J. (2018). This is service design doing, applying service design thinking in the real world: A practitioners handbook. Sebastopol: Oreilly & Associates.

What is Community Engagement? (Center for Economic and Community Development). (n.d.). Retrieved July 2, 2019, from https://aese.psu.edu/research/centers/cecd/engagement-toolbox/engagement/what-is-community-engagement

What is a community design charrette? (n.d.). Retrieved July 7, 2019, from https://blueprintforbetter.org/what-is-a-community-design-charrette/ Courtesy of AIA Pennsylvania


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Additional Recommended ResourcesAwan, N., Schneider, T., & Till, J. (2011). Spatial agency: Other ways of doing architecture. Abingdon, Oxon England: Routledge.Butteriss, C., Dr. (2016, June 21). What is Community Engagement, Exactly? Retrieved May 30, 2019, from https://www.bangthetable.com/blog/what-is-community-engagement/

Desmond, M. (2017). Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. Thorndike Press.

Di Bucchianico, G. (Ed.). (2019). Advances in Design for Inclusion(pp. 188-194, Rep.). Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature. Codesign of Public Spaces for Intercultural Communication, Diversity and Inclusion

Ehrlemark, B. (2019, February 28). Public Practice helps architects and planners in the U.K. engage the public. Arch Paper. Retrieved March 5, 2019, from https://archpaper.com/

Klinenberg, E. (2019). PALACES FOR THE PEOPLE: How social infrastructure can help fight inequality, polarization, and... the decline of civic life. S.l.: Broadway Books.

Social Economic Environmental Design. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://seednetwork.org/


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THANKYOU.


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