My final artifact for DMGT 740 Sustainable Practices in Design was designing a tool kit. My idea for designing a toolkit for community engagement aims to provide professionals and communities with a means to support community participation. It recognizes that an effective community engagement strategy is critical to build relationships and to encourage the community to contribute to mutually acceptable solutions. In approaching my idea, I will not provide answers as to how community engagement can be carried out effectively. Instead, I will develop a toolkit for community engagement that consists of a flexible portfolio of techniques that can be used or adapted in a particular situation. The toolkit will provide practical information and resources that will be useful for working with communities. It will also include many suggestions for effective ways to work with communities and useful information concerning methods of techniques of engagement. Each will be briefly describe, how best to use it and in what situations it would be appropriate to use.
My interest in the whole notion of social design made me think of how to better improve the way we engage with communities and how to collaborate and create a mutually beneficial relationship with the community. It bears in mind that the ability to engage the community in meaningful and culturally appropriate ways is of critical importance. The proposed project idea is based on the contention that engaging the community can contributes toward building “social capital” –social networks and support system- which is associated with better and more sustainable communities.
A community engagement strategy, involving the School Repurposing and Community Development website, aldermanic community meetings and site tours has begun so that residents are well-informed about available properties and are offered the ability to review and provide input.
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