WHAT WE LEARNED:

Residents may doubt their power to make a difference, especially when their voices have been historically ignored. Factors like market pressures or trends, governmental policy, and predatory business tactics are often the reason neighborhoods experience unwanted change. Practicing Power Perspectives helps residents realize their power by turning their aspirations into attainable, actionable steps they can take. The weCollab Highlight demonstrates one way to shift resident perspective on achieving their aspirations and realizing their power. Resident-led neighborhood planning reverses the flow of power and decision making from outside the neighborhood to inside, from developer to resident (see graphic). Build residents perception and belief in their power through activities like small retail pop-ups public information sharing or forums, and or collective visioning, with clear steps for implementation.

When residents resist or are inactive in planning, you can overcome barriers by celebrating work residents have already done for others to see, supporting residents to lead outreach so they are visible to their neighbors, and demystifying the myths around what it takes to start initiatives in your neighborhood. Practice achieving small wins to help residents in realizing their own agency, pushing through the doubt and fear, and increase appetites for success.

PRACTICE EXERCISES

Brainstorm some common negative narratives and perceptions around development in your neighborhood. What message can you send to counter this narrative? Draft a script incorporating this message to use at your next outreach opportunity.

Here’s an example from the weCollab planning process: Residents would say, “Why have I never heard of your neighborhood plan?” Steering Committee Members would respond: “I’m not sure, but welcome to the party!”

WHAT WE LEARNED:

Resident-led planning work requires a constant fuel propelling residents to stay engaged. Remembering your “why” will help you get through the difficult parts and give all you can. Burnout is real, but when you are surrounded by supportive neighbors and feel valued for engaging and contributing to something that is important to you, it’s easier to stay involved.

Here are warning signs that residents may be approaching burnout:

• moving from one phase to the next with the exact same people at the table
• people stop showing up to meetings and events
  people are silent in meetings
• consultants and stakeholders don’t have a clear outcome when they bring folks together
• meetings feel like a waste of time

We learned to be observant of warning signs and encourage adjustments that keep the effort dynamic and progressing forward.

Optimizing the type of work or relationships with everyone’s time and talent helps maintain momentum and get the best use of everyone’s time and energy. For example, building the foundation of trust and relationships among residents and neighborhood organizations can largely happen without planning partners who are often focused on the technicalities of creating a neighborhood plan. Once residents are engaged across all demographics and have their common ground for the work established, getting feedback on planning concepts and drafting a plan becomes much easier. In the beginning it may take less energy over a longer period of time to organize resident groups and prepare people to work together. Surveying the community, making recommendations, and drafting the plan are increasingly intensive on everyone’s part, until the plan is ready to be implemented. Then energy peaks at a high level with broad and wide effort across stakeholders to realize the neighborhood’s vision.

PRACTICE EXERCISES

Select 2 volunteers to call all the members of your leadership group one-on-one. Note any major concerns they have or adjustments that can be made to keep everyone active. See how it worked for us in the play “consistently evaluate.” Track attendance at meetings and look for patterns of missed attendance. Reach out when it’s appropriate to see how to keep the person engaged.

WHAT WE LEARNED:

In difficult work, it is important to find the things that bring you and your group joy to sustain you through the challenges. It can be easy to forget all you have overcome when new or more difficult challenges arise. Making space for laughter and incorporating play in everything you do can make the work more enjoyable and fulfilling. Also, setting goals that give you reason to work hard and celebrating when you reach those goals can give you and your team sustaining joy.