CIVICENGAGEMENT
SUPPORTING LASTING CIVICCAPACITY IN DETROIT
D E T R O I T F U T U R E C I T Y | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2
SUPPORTING LASTINGCIVIC CAPACITY IN DETROIT
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
RENEWED WAYS TO LEAD AND COLLABORATE.
Detroit is above all a citythat makes things, and Detroiters can make things happen. There is no shortageof talented people in Detroit who dedicate their lives to making it a better place.They are neighbors, leaders, dreamers, and doers. You may be one of them: aNeighborhood Watch captain or foot patrol, a troop leader or teen leader, a
teacher or police or re/paramedic, a city employee who sees a practical solution,
a shop steward with ideas for daycare at your factory, a deacon with a dream for a civic plaza, an entrepreneur who helps develop a thriving business corridor.You may have knowledge of or access to ideas, data, networks of individuals and
institutions, or nancial resources. Augmenting and leveraging people’s assets,
resources, perspectives, and participation is what this section of the DetroitStrategic Framework is all about.Civic “infrastructure” can be considered an intrinsic system for the city of Detroit.
It is an abundant asset that, like Detroit’s physical systems, has been stressed
and burdened by economic and population losses, deferred or inconsistentmaintenance, and a lack of renewal. To put it in more human terms:
Detroitersshould be recognized as our most precious asset, and the capacity andvibrancy of individuals and institutions deserve support and renewal.
Thiscivic infrastructure—strong residents, strong leaders, strong organizations,and strong sectors—will enable Detroit to make ongoing, continual progress onpervasive, long-term community issues, such as public safety, equitable job access,education, or health.
WHAT EXACTLY IS CIVIC ENGAGEMENT?
Civic engagement is the open andongoing two-way dialogue among all stakeholders. Essentially, civic engagement ispeople working together and talking together to move forward together. It entailstransparency, accountability, and mutual trust. Civic engagement moves peoplealong a spectrum of support. For some, becoming more engaged means lessresistance or fear toward an idea or an initiative. For others, engagement means
moving from passive indierence to active involvement or advocacy. Engagement
can fuel the passion of still others to be the leaders and outspoken champions for
their specic cause or a shared idea, lending their resources and skills as well asbringing others on board. A civic engagement eort is often most successful when
it involves a broad range of communities and sectors in conversation, relationshipbuilding, idea generation, decision making, and action.
The many valuable denitions and forms of civic engagement prompted the
Detroit Works Project Long Term Planning process to adopt a broad understanding
of community, including residents, businesses, government, nonprot, civic,
institutional, members of the media, philanthropic, and faith-based groups. The
broad concept of ‘community’ also includes but is not limited to communities based
on race, age, culture, ethnicity, and gender.Engagement is not only something that happens within and for individuals
and neighborhoods, and is not only something dened in geographic terms.
Engagement exists where there are shared values or a common issue at stake;something that is of deep concern to community stakeholders. Sometimesengaging or organizing around an issue (such as equitable job access or education)is appropriate, while other times engaging particular constituencies (such as thefaith community, large corporate employers, health professionals, or the higher education sector) is important. Still other times, engaging by geographic area(such as neighborhood, small business corridor, or multi-county region) is needed.
Any given engagement eort should consider these or other groupings at dierenttimes in order to be eective and responsive to how people identify themselves
within their communities.
ROAMINGTABLES(39)EXISTINGCOMMUNITY MEETING(138)TECHNICALWORKINGSESSIONS(64)COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS&PREP (20)OTHERDWP MEETINGS(6)SUMMITS(7)TOWNHALLMEETINGS(11)PLANNINGCLUSTER-BASEDMEETINGS(11)MORE THAN ONE ENGAGEMENTTYPE ATLOCATION (13)DWPLTP HOME BASESTREETTEAMDROPS:RESIDENTIAL/UNLABELEDBUSINESSORORGANIZATIONSource:DWPLTP CivicEngagement Team
Mappable engagements from both phases, including the types below. Many engagementsoccurred at the DWPLTP Home Base, and many (e.g. electronic engagements like“Detroit 24/7”) were not mappable.
ENGAGEMENTS SITES:AUGUST 2010 - SEPTEMBER 2012
124 MILES
F O R T
W . J E F F E R S O N
M I C H I G A N
FOR D
G R A N D R I V E R
T E L E G R A P H
8 M I LE
E. J E F F E R S O N
W O O D W A R D
V A N D Y K E
G R A T I O T
318
C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T
319
I S A V A L U E D C O W O R K E R C E L E B R A T E S C U L T U R A L A S S E T S G E T S I N V O L V E D I N H I S / H E R N E I G H B O R H O O D C O N T R I B U T E S I D E A S A N D A C T I O N S I S A P O W E R F U L I N F L U E N C E R T A K E S P R I D E I N T H E C I T Y C O N N E C T S T H E D O T S C A R E S F O R T H E C O M M U N I T Y I S A N I N F O R M E D V O T E R F A C I L I T A T E S C H A N G E I S A S T A B L E A N D S E C U R E R E S I I D E N T G E N E R A T E S R E S O U R C E S B U I L D S N E T W O R K S A N D L E A D S O T H E R S
AN ENGAGED COMMUNITY MEMBER...
D E T R O I T F U T U R E C I T Y | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2
ROBUST DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATIONWILLING AND COMMITTED INVESTORSAN ATMOSPHERE OF COLLABORATION AMONG SECTORSA STRONG SENSE OF PLACEADVOCATES AND IMPLEMENTERS
AN ENGAGED CITY INCLUDES...
WHY ENGAGE?
Civic engagement yields lasting benets. This is true of any
development endeavor or long-term initiative, including the Detroit Strategic
Framework. Here’s why: First, civic engagement helps strengthen and expand thebase of support for a given eort. More people become informed, activated andmobilized through engagement eorts. Opposition is less likely because concerns
are addressed within the process. Secondly, engagement creates and empowers
leaders who will advocate for and advance an eort. The more champions there are
for a plan or an idea, the more likely it is to become a reality. Third, civic engagementstrengthens collaboration and connections. It helps pave the way for long-term
sustainability of an eort by increasing visibility, credibility, buy-in, accountability,
and ownership of solutions and bright ideas. Fourth, civic engagement oftennurtures and reinforces a strong connection to place and a sense of identity.Essentially, by engaging in something together, people can witness and feel ashared energy and commitment. Involvement feels rewarding, and the possibilityof change and progress excites communities.
Lastly, and perhaps most significantly for the Strategic Framework, civic
engagement actually improves the substance or content of an initiative. An eortthat has been supported by civic engagement will more accurately reect the ideasof the people it aects, and helps them raise their voices to inuence outcomes. It
responds to present-day needs and priorities while incorporating a valuable rangeof perspectives and expertise.For all of these reasons, creating a sustained environment of strong civic fabric anda vibrant civic identity will not only enable the Strategic Framework to become a
reality, but it also will allow Detroit to incubate and carry out successful eorts and
initiatives well into the future.Such engagement does not just “happen,” however. It requires deliberate and
targeted investments and eorts by nonprot organizations, the philanthropic
sector, and public and private sectors to learn about it, support it, and initiateit. It also calls for individual leaders to be cultivated and equipped to forge and
strengthen connections among constituencies, neighborhoods, organizations, and/or sectors. And nally, it requires all of us to create an atmosphere of trust, respect,
shared goals, and mutual responsibility.Everyone who has dedicated time to the future of Detroit—both within and beyondthe city limits—is aware that too many excellent and civic-minded ideas and actionsgo unrecognized or under-funded because of lack of connections and coordinationamong all the groups and individuals who are working on solutions for the city.Supporting and investing in a strong civic and cultural fabric creates an enduring
asset for Detroit’s long-term development and prosperity. When a city’s people are
strongly connected with each other—active in civic life, focused on shared values,equipped to lead change, and committed to developing healthy and vibrant localinstitutions and businesses—the city becomes stronger and more sustainable.Engagement is not solely a vehicle to implement and govern change. It is also anoutcome and a transformation in and of itself.
“There needs to beclarity about what aperson can influencein the process.”
Community Organizations,Round Table, 1/30/2012
“Community engagement is more than justlistening to us rank imperatives. Please bemore transparent about how communityfeedback is actually being incorporated into technical planning.”
Northeast Community Conversation #1, 4/17/2012
DETROIT’S COMMUNITY INCLUDES. . .
BUSINESSESPHILANTHROPICNONPROFITSMEDIAINSTITUTIONSGOVERNMENTFAITH-BASEDGROUPSCOMMUNITYDEVELOPMENTGROUPSRESIDENTS
“How cancitizens becomemore involvedin planning?”
Street Team,12/2011
320
C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T
321
Search History:
Result 00 of 00
00 results for result for
p.
Recommended
More From This User
Notes
Load more
