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Fall 2007 Latinos and Planning Click here to download IN THIS ISSUE... A Public Outreach Program is changing how the City of South Gate, California Plans for the Future…
A Public Outreach Program Is Changing How the City of South Gate, CA Plans for the Future
In 2005, the City of South Gate embarked on a General Plan update, for the first time in 17 years. The General Plan update has been the vehicle to rebuild civic confidence and generate active participation in planning. From the start the City made a commitment to extensive public outreach to attract a truly representative cross section of the community. Through a unique blend of grassroots community outreach, culturally sensitive engagement, and participatory planning techniques, led by TLUC, over 300 local residents and community stakeholders participated in the development of a vision for the future of the City. Their unique approach provides a much-needed alternative to traditional planning models that can be applied to other Latino and underserved communities. TLUC is a non-profit land-use and transportation planning organization that provides multi disciplinary services to both the public and private sectors in Southern California. The organization is committed to involving the public and decision makers in a collaborative approach to addressing growth-related challenges, creating plans and projects that contribute to that ethic, and supporting the principle that planning-as usual will not lead to a sustainable region or viable communities. South Gate, California The City of South Gate reflects the urban growth challenges and changing demographics characteristic of many Los Angeles communities. The City has a population of roughly 103,547 residents, of which over 90% are Latino. A historically working class community, situated 7.5 south east of downtown Los Angeles, the City has a dense urban fabric that counter's the suburban image many residents hold. In recent years the City has had difficulty political challenges, affecting the community's image of the community and government. The active participation of residents in the General Plan process has helped to re-ignite enthusiasm and confidence, by involving the community in planning for a brighter future in South Gate. Stakeholder Involvement — the City recognized the importance of involving key community leaders early on in the process. Background interviews were conducted with over 22 City officials and staff, planning commissioners, local business owners, members of organizations (i.e. civic clubs, Chamber of Commerce, community based organizations, etc.), key staff at educational institutions, and importantly religious institutions from various faiths. These stakeholders helped to identify issues and opportunities in the City as served as resources for media, publicity, resources, and expert local knowledge. Outreach to Citizen Groups — a significant amount of time was dedicated to attending local meetings for civic clubs and groups. The City made sure these organizations were continually engaged in the first phase of the General Plan. Presentations were delivered at the start of the General Plan update and before each public workshop, to groups such as Padres Unidos, Women's Multicultural Club, and Commission for South Gate Youth, Tweedy Mile Association, South Gate Women's Club, the Optimist Club and the Rotary Club. Less formal groups were notified of upcoming meetings and encouraged to share the information with their neighbors. These groups include local neighborhood block clubs formed during the recall campaign, community in action subcommittees, and religious networks. This was one of the most effective outreach strategies, since word of mouth was a powerful tool for involving the Latino population in South Gate. General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) — the City appointed a 16 member citizen advisory committee made up of key stakeholders from the planning commission, local institutions, agencies, community based organizations, and citizen groups. The GPAC served as outreach liaisons and advisors to the process. They participated in quarterly meetings to discuss topics such as the General Plan process, Smart Growth, land use alternatives, developing the City vision and guiding principles. Most GPAC members were actively engaged in the General Plan update, either facilitating workshop sessions and or promoting the City's vision and plan to their respective organizations. Collaboration with Key Institutions — the City furthered their relationship with key institutions recognized in the community. Throughout the public outreach process, the City partnered with the local educational institutions from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) - primary and adult education — and East Los Angeles Community college. Presentations and focus groups on the General Plan involved local middle school leadership classes, and adult English as Second Language classes. Outreach was conducted at various educational campuses to ensure that younger South Gate residents were involved in developing a vision for the future. Outreach and Visibility — the City was successful in having large-scale participation by conducing innovative and strategic publicity. The General Plan update had a visible presence throughout the city through street banners, posters and flyers available at key locations, and tabling at key city facilities and events. To involve Latino residents the City provided bi-lingual materials and maintained a presence at shops and establishments frequented by the Spanish speaking community. In addition the City mailed postcards and provided reminder calls for each meeting, in both English and Spanish. Public Workshops — South Gate held large-scale public workshops called a "Community Congress" or "Congresso Comunitario". Over the course of four Community Congresses, more than 300 hundred residents turned out to participate in the General Plan Update. The workshops which involved on average 75-100 residents were designed to educational and interactive, each addressed different topics related to planning and growth, covering topics as General Plans, Smart Growth, Public Health, Form based Codes and Urban Design, Mobility, and Land Use and the Built Environment. Using participatory planning techniques and visual models, residents were asked to break out in small discussion groups, participate in a Community Image Survey, prioritize community goals using dot-voting exercises and present feedback to the larger Community Congress audience. The public's participation led to the development of the General Plan Vision Statement and eleven Guiding Principles, which articulate and re-affirm the community's values and vision for achieving a greater South Gate in the years ahead, these include: A City that Grows; A Green City; A Family-Oriented City; Strong Neighborhoods; Transportation Choices; Economic Vitality; Vibrant Tweedy Mile and Corridors; Life-Long Learning; A Beautiful City; A Healthy Environment; and Community Participation. Charrette and Community Meeting Series — the City held a week long Charette and community meeting series. At the start of the week local South Gate residents, were presented various growth scenarios, developed over the course other public workshops, and asked to identify preferred land use alternatives for the City's neighborhoods, districts and corridors. Over the course of the week City Staff and consultants worked to refine the land use designations and place types, taking into consideration the community's guiding principles and preferred land use scenarios. At the end of the week, residents were presented the City's nearly final land use designations and asked to provide any final comments. South Gate residents were able to see first hand how their input and involvement shaped the vision and plan for future development in their City. The South Gate General Plan update has proven to be an exemplary model for civic engagement, particularly in minority communities. Through extensive public outreach residents have had the opportunity to voice growth related concerns, learn about Smart Growth and New Urbanist principles, articulate a community vision and priorities, and participate in influencing future development. TLUC continues to work with the City of South Gate by providing outreach for the second phase of the General Plan Update process. QUICK TIPS
To learn more TLUC contact:
Message from the Division Chair Membership Has Its Benefits More than a year ago, we started a free listserv that allowed all of the members of our network to post and find out about jobs, talk about planning issues, and network. We believed this free service would be a useful vehicle that would allow people from around the country to learn about the work being done to ensure that Latinos have the opportunity to participate in planning processes taking place in their community and to introduce and mentor aspiring planners. Today, the listserv is popular — 237 members strong — yet only about 30% of network members have become members of the division. Because division membership is the only source of revenue we have to further our mission, Latinos and Planning leaders felt it necessary to start limiting information that is available to non-members. Starting September 30, 2007 there will be a password-protected website where only division members can access the following information: Division Business (includes voting privileges); Newsletter (including archives); Mentoring; Opportunities; Special Discounts; Access to RFPs, RFQs and Job Announcements and; Member Director Access. Anyone, regardless of membership, will have access to Resources & Links, Calendar of Events, Posting privileges to the listserv for RFP's, RFQ's or Job Announcements, and Basic Division Information. If you would like to join the division, please go to http://www.planning.org/latinos and follow the links to join. Leonardo Vazquez, AICP
Annette Cortez Antoinette Meier Arturo Vazquez Vivian Peterson
October 18, 2007 Latinos in Planning: Agents for Local Change Admission is FREE, however, donations will be accepted. For more information or to RSVP: Danny Serrano dserrano@jsanet.com (P) 858-0578-8964. October 25, 2007 (SAVE THE DATE) Great Latino Streets, Great Latino Neighborhoods For more information contact James Rojas at rojas@metro.net. March 30–April 1, 2008 (SAVE THE DATE) A Celebration of Value and Opportunity: La Comunidad Through a series of plenary sessions, breakout sessions, keynote presentations and offsite tours, A Celebration of Value and Opportunity: La Comunidad approaches the needs and challenges of the Latino community with a holistic outlook that will give them the tools to shape their future. Target Audience — Community development organizations, arts and cultural organizations, mayors, city council members, county executives, diversity officers, economic development officers, tourism officers, community activists, community foundations, business representatives and youth leaders across North America who want to better understand how to utilize Latino cultural heritage as a driving force within their community. If you wish to receive updates about the conference and a notification of when the full conference website goes live, please email Jessica Rial at jrial@livable.com, with the subject line "La Comunidad." To include your event in future issues of Latinos & Planning Newsletter please submit your entries to Elizabeth Delgado at delgado.e@gmail.com.
The following volunteer positions are currently available with the APA Latinos & Planning Division.
If you have an interest in any of these volunteer opportunities please e-mail Elizabeth Delgado at delgado.e@gmail.com or Danny Serrano at dserrano@jsanet.com.
If you would like to submit an article or story idea for the newsletter please submit your ideas or article summary to Elizabeth Delgado via e-mail to delgado.e@gmail.com for consideration. The Latinos & Planning Newsletter is published on a quarterly basis. To be considered for our next issue, please submit your materials by October 31, 2007.
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