Planning under a relocalization framework is essentially an action program in pursuit of a sustainable municipal model. It contains many facets of traditional town planning but integrates sustainability and natural step principles. It also borrows from a number of other successful models of community revitalization including permaculture, local-based economic development, new urbanism, transition towns, and transit-oriented development.
Planning for relocalization requires significant public participation. In some cases, a community will already be familiar with relocalization and transitioning or have active climate change or energy groups leading the support for this program. Other communities address the problem by being led initially by efforts of the municipality. While this is not negative, the most effective efforts at relocaization are not solely led by government but, at a minimum, by a partnership between the municipality and citizens and other stakeholders.
Identify Planning Starting Point - As noted above, this will depend on who is initially leading the way up front. Programs with strong citizen influence and drive will be structured to take advantage of this characteristic. It is suggested that the community should appoint a plan committee to oversee the process to insure that the scope is met and that there is an entity that can report back to the Planning Board, Selectmen, City Council, Board of Supervisors, or whatever entity authorized the project. It is also suggested that a single municipal point of contact be designated to serve as a project liaison between the consultant and the Committee.
Develop Project Scope - The scope will encompass the players and participants, establish a timeline for the planning process.
Conduct Local Resources Audit - This is commonly referred to as inventory and assessment within a conventional comprehensive planning framework. The resources audit collects data on community resources and structure, evaluating what elements are efficient or ineffficient related to an energy transition perspective. For example, A commercial strip corridor would be evaluated negatively on balance and require an agressive prescription of rezoning and incentives for redevelopment to a more compact and energy efficient urban pattern.
Prepare Local Resources Report - The audit will look at the fifteen relocalization criteria described on the Goals page. This report will be a starting point for the actual planning process which will involve a significant number of public forums and meetings designed to elicit a wide range of opinions from citizens, business leaders, and other stakeholders.
Public Participation Phase - Some comprehensive planning processes involve a cursory amount of public input either due to a lack of enthusiasm for involving one's own citizenry in planning for its future or the desire to satisfy a statutory requirement. The relocalization planning framework approaches this phase as the central organizing principle of the project. Citizens must choose, based on the data presented in the audit, what specific steps should be taken to create a sustainable and independant future for the community. As such, their input must be agressively sought out rather than merely tolerated. This is done by:
It is not unusual for a planning process to involve 15 meetings or more. The key to avoid redundancy and burnout is to carefully plan the purpose and objective of each meeting so that there is clarity and eficient time management. I always recommend that public participation be varied and that if meetings are held that they should largely avoid the talking head and passive audience model.
The practice also focuses on you, the hiring client, and we listen closely to ensure that your goals and objectives are met. By factoring in the various perspectives and goals, we can develop a product that is community-driven, meets client goals, and can be implemented. Call us at (617) 838-9454 or e-mail at info@relocalizations.com to find out more.
Prepare Draft Report - As a result of the audit and the extensive public participatory process, a preliminary draft report will be developed. This plan can either be supplemental to a town or city master plan or, more effectively, be seen as a replacement for it.
Due Diligence - All good plans require a reasonable amount of due diligence beyond the public meetings to gain widespread community acceptance. This means that project leaders need to formulate a strategy to discuss the plan with schools, the business community, political leaders, board members, and others prior to adoption. It is this method that will elicit the maximum ownership by the community.