The Chattanooga Design studio is bringing back the CIVIQ lecture series, and the first series event of 2021 kicked off with a bang last night.
What is CIVIQ?
CIVIQ is a local speaker series focused on topics surrounding urban design that began in 2018. Past series included discussions on infrastructure, transit, and more, all of which you can listen to online .
Last night, 2 women behind the local Westside Community Evolves project — Rhae Parks of EJP consulting, the planning organization working on the project, and local artist Erika Roberts — took the stage to discuss how community engagement and involvement + art are important facets in neighborhood redevelopment.
Principles used in the project
- Understand the baseline: past + present | Understanding the community’s history
- Start with strengths + assets | Don’t originally focus on what needs to be fixed, but what is strong about the community
- Be clear about opportunities for influence V. decision making | Be honest about the difference between community input + community decision making
- Listen actively, be transparent, be consistent | Intentionally listen to the community, and stay transparent in the project’s stages
- Recruit allies, collaborate; Leverage community assets, partners, and momentum | Community allies, partners + collaboration are important
- | Work with local partners and orgs to benefit the project
- Find early wins, especially those that are resident-led | In year-long projects, show that you are listening to the community by providing early-stage tangible successes — ie, bus stops, sidewalk paving, etc.
- Invest time + resources | Invest in elements like surveys and technical studies, community conversations + diverse communication mechanisms
The importance of art
Local artist Erika Roberts discussed how her 98 year old grandmother has lived in the Westside community since Erika was a child, and how the community is important to her.
She wanted to preserve the community + history of Westside through art. She outlined the necessary elements of a successful process that works through art:
- An organization
- Artist(s)
- Community
- Intentionality
The unveiling of the Westside Evolves final plan + the artwork that accompanies it will take place tomorrow, July 24, in the Westside community.