Building a Constituency of Planning Advocates

In many communities, residents are rarely asked their opinions, let alone given a seat at the planning table. This presentation explores three community leadership models that take a “long-game” approach to building a more equitable constituency for planning and to increasing diversity around the table and within the profession. All three programs envision a future where every resident is equipped as an advocate and agent of positive neighborhood change. They use a cohort format to build stronger cross-neighborhood networks and relationships.

The Philadelphia Citizens Planning Institute came into being in 2010 as the “outreach and education” entity within the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. More than 700 citizen planners – alumni of the biannual courses – serve as “bridge-builders” between staff planners and the neighborhoods they represent. Newport News started a Neighborhood Leadership Series in 2017 to engage a highly distressed community as part of the Marshall-Ridley Choice Neighborhood planning process. Seven cohorts later, it has expanded citywide, encouraging residents to become local leaders of change. Since 2018, the Center for Community Planning has immersed elementary, middle-, and high-school students in New Jersey in real-world redevelopment proposals, inspiring them to engage in community development.

NPC Peer Reviewers assigned this presentation a learning level of Intermediate. For more on learning-level descriptions, visit our General Information Page.