Community based planning is centered on dialogue and collaboration, on the ability of people from many different walks of life, with different interests, needs and skills to come together, listen to each other, learn from each other, and collectively work toward a common vision or goal.

Too often, however, in attempting to move from a top-down approach to a broad-based or grassroots approach, planners fail to engage the very people they set out to include. Initial efforts to empower citizens to take ownership of a project and participate in decisions concerning the future of their community, too often end up as consultation or tokenism on the bottom rungs of Sherry Arnstein's "Ladder of Participation," with decisions made by a small group of professionals and politically-motivated community representatives. A common danger is that initial community interest and excitement at being involved in shaping development gives way to frustration and disillusionment, and ultimately increases political alienation.

One group that is almost always left out of planning is youth. This is a time of increased youth alienation. We scapegoat young people, stereotype them, fear them and rarely make an attempt to communicate with them and understand their insights, aspirations and fears. Yet we have much to gain by directly involving youth in community planning efforts, not only in terms of developing a clear perspective on youth issues and priorities but, more importantly, in terms of developing an informed, active civil society.

The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City focused a six-week Design Directions studio on planning the 116th Street corridor in upper Manhattan. "Re-Design Your City" brought together thirty high school students from throughout New York City in an intensive planning exercise that included a site visit, discussions with local residents and community activists, analysis of issues, visioning, and collaborative planning. At the end of the six weeks students presented their proposals to a panel of planners, urban designers and architects. Several students also participated in a presentation of the project at the April 2000 American Planning Association Conference. It was the first experience for many students in collaborative problem solving - being able to argue a point and come to a mutual agreement. Some students found this challenging: "The hardest part was agreeing on some aspects of our project." The best parts for others were "...meeting new friends and working on the projects." Design Directions not only benefited the students, it provided a unique opportunity for planning and design professionals, serving as project consultants and volunteers, to work directly with youth and hear first hand their issues, concerns and ideas.

This was an extraordinary experience. Yet it involved a small group of motivated students. We need to take the collaborative planning and design experience beyond the museum or special program and develop collaborative skills, community awareness and civic responsibility as part of the K-12 public school curriculum.

Sadly the opposite is the norm. We live in a "winner take all" society that values individual achievement and material wealth above collaboration and collective endeavor. As schoolchildren we are taught to compete and protect our self-interest so that as adults we can move up the career ladder, achieve material gain and contribute to the country's economic growth and prosperity.

Education for participation, not only in planning exercises but also in civil society, must begin at an early age. People should expect to participate and know how to do so. They should be able to come into a planning process prepared to engage on many levels, to articulate their concerns yet understand the broader context and impact of their decisions. They should know where to go for information, have experience working together and the confidence to not only engage in planning when invited to do so but initiate the planning process themselves. If we value the institution of democracy we need to develop the capacity to participate at an early age.

Cooper-Hewitt Educator Resource Center