Function Over Form and the Element of Time

The Foundation recently held a convening in Seattle seeking input on the physical characteristics or manifestations of communities intent on articulating, acting on and stewarding their heart and soul. At the Foundation, we call this process “Heart & Soul Community Planning.” A couple interesting aspects of the conversation really jumped out at me.

The first was a statement by leading architect Mark Hinshaw, observing that how a community comes together and how it engages or interacts is as, if not more, important than the physical buildings or the environment. Second, there was strong agreement over the importance of authentic, diverse and continuing engagement of citizens in fostering and/or perpetuating a vibrant community. A few people even offered specific essential ingredients for successful communities.

As I was flying home to Vermont, I read a set of articles in the APA’s December 2009 issue of Planning Magazine in which it profiled great streets, public places and neighborhoods. The articles stressed how important these public, physical spaces are to the citizens who enjoy them, and acknowledged the consideration and mindfulness that went into planning or protecting these assets. Here at the Foundation, we’re always interested in examples of Comp Plans, Zoning and Design Regulations that help to incorporate and implement values into how communities are developed. (It seems there’s a dearth of such examples in the US, yet we continue to hope we’re wrong about this.)

Another discussion we had with our Seattle group considered how long it could take to establish “success” in the Foundation’s project communities. In some ways, this is almost a rhetorical question since each town presents different capacities, goals and issues. But in many ways, it’s a serious question: just how long does it take to change the way a town engages its citizens and proactively plans its growth future? Currently, we work with our communities for two-year stints, and while we know this is not enough for complete success, we’re still experimenting with how long (and how much) is enough for the seeds of real change to take root. The Seattle group did offer that forming social relationships, building bridges between stakeholders, and training committees and communities to build long-term capacity were perhaps the most important ingredients for success. After two years of this work—punctuated by numerous, tangible, short-term successes in the interim—the towns will very likely be in a good position to carry on the work by themselves.

Also on my flight home, I was interested to read a research paper by Elena Fagotto and Archon Fung entitled, “Sustaining Public Engagement: Embedded Deliberation in Local Communities.” It offers differing time frames depending on whether the goal is to produce culture change or spur a community into action. If the goal is culture change around engagement and decision making, more time, in-depth work and capacity building is needed.

What is your view on this question, as a resident of a community? A planning practitioner? A business owner? An elected official? A volunteer?