Community-Based Planning: Engagement, Collaboration and Meaningful Participation in the Creation of Neighbourhood Plans

Abstract

Community Development is a process by which people in communities work together to design a development process improving quality of life for citizens. To encourage community cohesion and effective synergies which mitigate conflict, community actors and leaders must become and stay informed about various planning tools and approaches. They must also sense appropriate times and places to use these approaches, and build the skills and perspectives critical for effective collaborative relationships. Challenges to effective engagement in community development initiatives include:

high expectation for delivery on community consultation input conflict between and among stakeholders connecting with marginalized groups neighbourhood plan implementation

This research will explore and share new and adapted methods of collaborative community planning that work with the above challenges. These methods will be applicable to Neighbourhood Renewal Corporations and agency actors in and beyond Winnipeg. This project is important because it will bring together existing literature and community-based knowledge of collaboration and community engagement, and will enable organizations to better analyze and adapt community consultation tools. This will aid in neighbourhood planning processes.