UP 378 Community Development Workshop in Alta Sita

Scope of Services

Preliminary Draft of Revised Scope of Neighborhood Planning Services (January 20, 1999)

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 Alta Sita 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 Alta Sita 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 Alta Sita-based churches as possible to recruit additional individuals to attend the next ASNA meeting.

4. Gather relevant Alta Sita information from the ESLARP web site and from other public sources.

• Topography map
• Soil conditions map
• Flood plain map
• Aerial photographs
• Local homeownership
• Local tax arrears data
• Recent arrest data
• Building permit data
• Local zoning
• Current and planned capital improvement projects
• Illegal dumping sites
• Kreigsfeld Housing Survey in Alta Sita
• Transportation routes
• School services

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

• Defining "Quality of Urban Life" Exercise
• "Cognitive Mapping" Exercise
• "Shooting the Neighborhood" Camera Exercise
• Children's "The Good, the Bad, Its Gotta Go" Drawing Exercise
• Preparing a Preliminary SWOT analysis via the "Four Shoe Box" Exercise

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
• Conduct five and ten-year population, employment and housing data projections

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

• Assess Local Land Use, Building Condition, and Site Condition Information via a field survey
• Assessing Local Street, Sidewalk, Sewer, Lighting and Infrastructure Information via a field survey

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 Alta Sita neighborhood
• Enter and analyze this data via EXCEL

9. Soliciting local institutional leaders views regarding future  community development goals, objectives and programs.

• Develop a survey instrument to elicit local institutional leaders views regarding current conditions and desired future states
• Organize students and residents to interview local institutional leaders regarding their views of neighborhood trends and opportunities
• Train students in basic interview techniques
• Enter and Analyze this data via EXCEL

10. 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

11. Organize Issue Task force Meetings to Elaborate the Action Plan in Each Substantive Area of the Document.

• Recruit participants for each issue task force
• Identify a chair to help facilitate the meetings
• Develop a complete set of program proposals for each issue element of the plan

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. Revise the plan based on resident feedback.

• Identify and make recommended changed
• Edit the document
• Review revised copy with local leaders

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

• Contact Dr. Bonner of the CPC to arrange a time to present the plan
• Speak with Stevie Cox, City Planner, regarding the presentation of the plan to the City Planing Commission
• 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

18. 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

Document author(s) : Cathy Klump
Last modified: 4-Feb-99, C. Klump