MIG’s Post

Over the past four months, I have had the privilege of participating in the WEPOWER Design Fellows program, where I collaborated with a talented group to co-facilitate community dialogues on the design process. Together, we led solution-oriented teams through a series of activations that culminated in the development of the Community Wealth Building Playbook. This experience has been an enriching journey of collective brainstorming, community engagement, and creating pathways for sustainable community development. Building community power means finding solutions within the community by the community. It’s a call to action for local stewardship—working together to create healthy, equitable, and sustainable communities. Community stewardship involves people and organizations stepping up to take responsibility for forming partnerships that drive transformative change at the local and regional levels. A key aspect of community stewardship is supporting local businesses. Successful businesses contribute more in taxes, which in turn provides resources to fund local social amenities and schools. By backing local entrepreneurs and businesses, communities strengthen their economic base and improve their overall quality of life. Community power is most effective when individuals take charge of the issues within their control to address problems in their neighborhoods. Rather than waiting for outsiders to come and solve internal issues, community members actively work together to make their environment better. The basic things might include: 1. Promoting Safety and Responsibility: Ensuring neighborhood safety by looking out for each other, raising responsible and respectful kids, and holding community leaders accountable. 2. Fostering Respect and Dignity: Treating others with kindness and respect, promoting inclusivity, and standing against discrimination. 3. Civic Engagement and Participation: Voting, engaging in community dialogues, and participating in local governance to ensure that community voices are heard. 4. Addressing Social Issues: Organizing discussions on healthy living, tackling substance abuse, empowering youth, and reducing the presence of liquor stores and fast food outlets in the neighborhood. 5. Maintaining Public Spaces: Picking up trash, cutting grass, and addressing home repairs to keep neighborhoods looking clean and safe. By taking these actions, community members build a stronger sense of unity and responsibility. They demonstrate that real change starts from within, and by holding each other accountable, they create a more vibrant, inclusive, and resilient community. It's about empowering people to be the change they want to see, fostering a culture of cooperation, and building a foundation for a better future. Design Fellows https://lnkd.in/gZu4Mw4C

I don’t know about you, but more often than not, screens make me feel disconnected, not connected. Yet, they do help us find something powerful: the actual space to connect that can reignite a sense of belonging. Places where real connections happen, where collaboration and innovation spark, and where we’re reminded what it actually means to be part of something bigger. Technology isn’t the bad guy—it’s how we use it. It can guide us toward the spaces where we come together in person, cutting across differences to create something meaningful. For me, that’s the soul of Minnesota: lifting each other up and making real, lasting connections. What’s your third space? And what kind of spaces do you think build stronger communities? #Community #MinnesotaProud #Connection https://lnkd.in/gFKPGkXP

Solutions for people cannot be airdropped, they must arise from the context of the communities they are meant for in order to create tangible value. Initiatives aimed at improving lives often fail because they are disconnected from communities, the context, and the reality. Human-centered design puts the human—the community, the context, and the reality—at the center.

Neighborhood Development [developer tactics] Some key strategies for developing a great city neighborhood and fostering a sense of community through public places include create inviting and well-designed public spaces, encourage mixed-use development, support local businesses and community initiatives, prioritize pedestrian and bike-friendly infrastructure, and plan for sustainable and resilient infrastructure. Overall, by prioritizing placemaking and focusing on creating vibrant and inclusive public spaces, city neighborhoods can strengthen social connections, build resilience, and foster a strong sense of community identity and belonging.

Yesterday, City of Boston's Planning Department released its Article 80 Modernization Draft Action Plan for improving the city’s development review process. For too long, the process for community members to provide insights and recommendations on development projects in their neighborhood has been insular, siloed, and far too inaccessible for the average person. Over the past year, Rivera Consulting (RC) with Archipelago Strategies Group, (ASG) and The Lazu Group worked with city staff and residents to reimagine and innovate its approach to community engagement within Article 80. That work combined a thorough review of existing processes, a multitude of interviews with staff throughout the planning and development review teams, focus groups with key external stakeholders, and a review of peer cities that shined a light on different approaches that brought us from Baltimore to Seattle to Toronto. We’re excited to see the course the city is charting now. Our key recommendation for the creation of “Community Advisory Teams” that combines a more holistic portfolio approach for multiple development proposals with city-led educational training for participants is critical for creating a sustainable and community-informed public realm. We are similarly excited that the city is committing to an earlier engagement model that is requiring developers to provide earlier opportunities to the public for direct engagement—a recommendation rooted in our peer city review. At RC we are committed to authentically integrating community engagement into Boston and the Commonwealth's land use and transportation planning. We see this as a breakthrough point to chart a new direction. There remains so much more to do to implement sustainable change and bring this vision to life for residents of the city. We encourage you to check out the draft action plan and provide feedback to the city for Improving our Development Review Process by taking the Action Plan Survey: https://lnkd.in/g3TJaS6H

Interesting piece from Edward Houghton at DG Cities on reframing the debate around development, with a nice reference to Human Nature's engagement work at the Phoenix. I think we've done a decent job of widening the net by pairing traditional forms of engagement, such as workshops and exhibitions, with fun activities and meanwhile events, working with brilliant organisations in Lewes. To me, the most important thing is keeping a line of communication open and continuing the conversation in perpetuity (more on that in the latest newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eNqGxXhb) In the piece, he writes: "Historically [community engagement] has been done in the town hall, in meetings and with surveys, but these are increasingly limited in their impact as they only reach those who are already to some extent engaged. To truly bridge the gap, councils and developers need innovative approaches that encourage active participation from all members of the community, and must have the intent to understand and value the views of people in their work."

"What are your aspirations from your #CommunityBuilding works? 😶🌫️" It's a beautiful idea but a challenging intent to realise. 'Community building', an action word, only fulfils the actionable intent, but doesn't frame the vision or objective of the action. *Reality Check In* 🤔 Why do we need to build and develop a community? 🤔 How much resources (time, money) do you have to make a responsible commitment? 🤔 How do we know that our current intent is what the community would like to have? 🤔 Who are the community? Is it 50% of the voices who have participate in your workshop? We all have different aspirations from wanting to build a community and also from the community that you are working with. It is very important to start any community building, an alignment of the aspirations and expectations. Anyway, the photo below is from the polytechnic 2nd year architecture students on their 1st day of school, their aspirations from their upcoming prototype project with HDB and Resident Network. WeCreate Studio #CommunityEngagement #SocialImpact #Collaboration #ngeeannpoly

🤔 What is community visioning, and why should you start? 🎯 Community visioning means collaboratively building a shared roadmap with your community members. 🤝 It is a great way to plan, and a fantastic way to build trust. But anything worth doing, is worth doing right! This post lays out some of the best practices of a community visioning process, drawn from real life examples. Read more about community visioning here! 👇 Mentioned in this post: City of Bloomington, MN, City of Tempe #CommunityVisioning #CommunityDevelopment #LocalGovernment

If people value deeper connections, why not use architecture to raise awareness of our social responsibility, fostering a sense of belonging and supporting real-life interactions? In every building, there are opportunities to enhance the collective feeling. Both on the ground floor and upper levels, it's possible to address urban segregation, accommodate diverse family structures, and create inclusive spaces that foster community cohesion and social well-being. Image: HERE S.r.l.

🏘️ Transforming Communities Through Equity in Real Estate 🏘️ Equity in real estate is more than just fair access to housing—it's a powerful force for community transformation. This article, "Revolutionizing Communities: How Equity in Real Estate Transforms Neighborhoods," explores how equitable development is not only reshaping our neighborhoods but also bolstering economic stability, enhancing social cohesion, and ensuring environmental sustainability. From the economic revival in the South Bronx to social integration in Detroit’s historic Packard Plant, discover the significant impact of investing in equity-focused real estate projects. 👉 Ready to see how real estate can drive community change? Click now to read more about the projects making a real difference and learn how equity is key to sustainable development: [Link to full article] #RealEstateInvestment #CommunityDevelopment #UrbanRevival #SocialEquity #EconomicEmpowerment #SustainableCities #EquityInRealEstate #EquityReport