Community Engagement - It's what Drives Innovation

 

We work with communities to incubate and develop projects. Communities are the foundation of each project and the reason for the work in the first place! We are here to help facilitate a process of engagement within communities and between the resources needed to develop land-based infrastructure. The process can be messy and time consuming, but the results are worth it. We break this process down into three phases--each necessary to achieve a resilient outcome.

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Phase 1: Initial Knowledge Sharing and Relationship Building

 

1) Defining the Project and Phases

This stage brings stakeholders and partners together to identify project boundaries and develop mechanisms for knowledge sharing. Group mapping exercises and round-table presentations are techniques that facilitate sharing and discovery. The findings are synthesized by LbCV and shared with the stakeholders and partners.

 

2) Identifying Resources and Expanding Stakeholder Group

After establishing a collective understanding of the project space, LbCV engages with partners to develop a refined catalog of assets and opportunities. Stakeholders are tasked with identifying additional stakeholders; LbCV and stakeholders bring additional participants into the process. LbCV presents asset and opportunity findings. Stakeholders and partners workshop to develop a Needs Map of the project area; this is when the knowledge of a community begins to be synthesized with professional design + planning analysis. Outcomes are synthesized by LbCV and shared with the stakeholders and partners.

 

3) Schematic Design and Solution Partnerships

Building on the summation work of the stakeholders and partners, LbCV develops schematic design responses coupled with project plan summaries. Schematic designs are drawn from the ideas and solutions that have been identified through community workshopping. Project Plan Summaries are draft outlines that reveal relationships, funding structures, resources, and schedules for portions--or the totality--of the community’s identified design needs. These deliverables are shared with the stakeholders and partners in an open community meeting. Feedback is received and documented by LbCV. The outcomes and deliverables are shared with the stakeholders and partners.

 

4) Schematic Workshop

The outcomes of step 3 are used by the stakeholders and partners as the source materials for an intensive design session with LbCV. In this step, LbCV helps facilitate a refined schematic design process that is developed and owned by the participant community. The outcomes of this workshop are synthesized by LbCV into communication tools, which explain the project’s goals, scope, and visions.

 

5) Design Presentation and Review

Stakeholders and partners review LbCV’s schematic proposal. Together, this working group presents the final work at an open community meeting. Feedback is incorporated by LbCV into a final proposal that is adopted by the stakeholders and partners for development.
 

Phase 2: Proposal Development and Fundraising

 

1) Working Group and Funding

A working group is formed from the stakeholders and partners from Phase 1. They serve as project vision keepers and a vetting committee, sharing the proposal vision and working to keep their communities informed as the process of proposal implementation moves forward. Work with LbCV to refine and develop funding streams begins.

 

2)  Design Phasing and Development Proposal

LbCV identifies a design refinement strategy and engages partners to execute aspects of the design proposal, as needed. A community open house maintains cross pollination of ideas and demonstrates project progress.

 

3) Local Agents, Global Partners

With final design requirements and project plans complete, development partners are identified and connected with necessary partners from the LbCV global network, as needed.


Phase 3: Development and Stewardship

1) Construction/Implementation

Whether working with a phased development or a project of a scale that is simultaneously developed, LbCV works with local agents and the partner network to ensure the community’s vision is maintained.

 

2) Adoption and Stewardship

LbCV maintains that post-occupancy is one of the most critical stages in the community engagement process. Not only is a celebration warranted, but communication must remain active so that adjustments and amendments can be implemented in a timely manner. This work means that the living aspects of the built relationships are allowed to thrive. While simultaneously, ownership and a capacity to participate in maintenance and stewardship of a living habitat is fostered in the landbase community.

 

3) Periodic Evaluation

LbCV maintains ties to the communities it works with simply due to the relations that have developed over the course of a project but also so that we might learn from past work and continue to be a partner as your new habitat grows and adapts.

 

 

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