Scope of Services

Preliminary Draft of Revised Scope of Neighborhood Planning Services

1. Establish a relationship with your community partner.

• Identify a leader who can arrange a meeting with the officers of the local CBO
• Confirm the goals, objectives and deliverables of the planning process
• Clarify the roles of local residents, neighborhood leaders, student planners, NTAC staff and University faculty throughout the process
• Establish a basic calendar for the project
• Establish a regular means of weekly communication
• Establish these understandings in a written memorandum

2. Inform local residents, business persons, institutional leaders and elected officials about the neighborhood planning process.

• Identify local newspapers, radio stations, television stations, and cable networks.
• Secure basic organizational materials from the Lansdowne Neighborhood Association in order to create a press release regarding the neighborhood planning process.
• Send press releases to local media and follow-up with a phone calls asking them to run the item and consider doing a feature story of the neighborhood planning process.
• Develop a list of local churches and send them a letter asking them to inform their parishioners about the planning process via a bulletin notice and a pulpit announcement.

3. Invite local residents, business persons and institutional leaders to become involved in the local planning process.

• Work with Lansdowne Neighborhood Association Leaders in developing an "invitation" to distribute to local residents, business persons and institutional leaders to be signed by leaders from throughout the area.
• Conduct a door-to-door outreach effort aimed at inviting each local resident, business person and institutional leader (i.e. pastor, principal, fire commander) to the next neighborhood meeting at which a preliminary assessment of neighborhood strengths and weaknesses will be completed.
• Organize students to attend Sunday services at as many Lansdowne-based churches as possible to recruit additional individuals to attend the next neighborhood meeting.

4. Gather relevant Lansdowne information from the ESLARP web site and 1992 Lansdowne plan

5. Involve Local Residents in a Preliminary Assessment of Neighborhood Conditions.

• "Cognitive Mapping" Exercise
• "Shooting the Neighborhood" Camera Exercise
• Children's "The Good, the Bad, Its Gotta Go" Drawing Exercise
• SWOT analysis

6. Collect and Analyze Available Census Information for 1970-1990.

• Identify variables to be used
• Construct the study area using either block groups or tracts
• Determine appropriate "comparison areas" to be used for analytical purposes
• Collect relevant data from 1970, 1980 and 1990 from the Census of Population and Housing
• Create relevant tables
• Carryout necessary analysis

7. Collect, Enter and Analyze Local Physical Conditions Survey.

Train students and residents to complete the following physical conditions survey

• Assess Local Land Use, Building Condition, and Site Condition Information via a field survey
• Preparing Thematic Maps summarizing this Information

8. Soliciting Local Residents' Views Regarding Future Community Development Goals, Objectives and Programs.

• Develop a survey instrument to elicit residents views regarding current conditions and desired future states
• Train students in basic interview techniques
• Organize students and residents to interview heads of households in the Lansdowne neighborhood
• Enter and analyze this data via EXCEL

9. Invite local stake-holders to a Neighborhood Summit to confirm our analysis of existing conditions, confirm overall development goal, objectives and major programs and organize relevant program development issue committees.

• Determine the date and location for the meeting
• Organize and implement community media campaign to create interest in the event
• Conduct an "all out" outreach effort to recruit local residents and leaders to participate in the event
• Identify local professionals (planners, public administrators, and officials) to serve as expert "resource" persons for each issue area
• Organize participating student and residents to help organize, chair and facilitate the meeting

10. Research "model programs/best practices" for each issue element of the proposed plan.

• Conduct a traditional literature search focusing on the fields of urban planning and community development
• Seek additional program materials using the resources of the world wide web
• Consult issue experts for feedback upon your preliminary program plan
• Incorporate materials from these research activities into the proposed plan

11. Prepare a preliminary draft of the plan for community review.

• Prepare a detailed outline of the plan
• Develop a preliminary draft of each chapter
• Revise the document based upon faculty feedback
• Create a second draft of the plan

12. Prepare for a preliminary presentation of the community plan.

• Summarize existing conditions section of the plan
• Prepare a concise presentation of overall goal, objectives and program elements
• Select a single innovative proposal from each substantive section of the plan for presentation
• Summarize the implementation strategy for the plan
• Develop visual materials to help communicate these ideas: overheads, slides, and handouts

13. Organize resident participation in this community hearing.

• Determine the date, time and location of the community hearing
• Prepare a mailing to go to all residents, leaders, and businesspersons
• Phone people to remind them to participate in this event
• Prepare local press releases to re-enforce residents' interest in the meeting

14. Revise the plan based on resident feedback.

· Identify and make recommended changed

· Edit the document

· Review revised copy with local leaders

15. Work with local residents to prepare for a presentation of the plan before the City Planning Commission.

• Arrange a time to present the plan
• Identify material to be presented
• Select resident speakers to present the plan
• Work with local residents to prepare for these speaking roles
• Send "advance" copies of the plan to the CPC for their review
• Present the plan to the CPC
• Prepare a press release summarizing the highlights of the plan

16. Evaluate the neighborhood planning process.

• Develop an evaluative criteria for evaluating the planning document and process
• Meet with local stake-holders to evaluate the process
• Prepare a detailed memo highlighting what should be changed before the next neighborhood plan is completed