City of Detroit Planning and Development Department

Description

Planning and Development Department | City of Detroit

The City of Detroit’s Planning and Development Department (PDD) aims to build a city secure in its future, grounded in its roots and hopeful in its present state. The vision of PDD’s mission is a healthy and beautiful Detroit, built on inclusionary growth, economic opportunity, and an atmosphere of trust. Vision: That every citizen has the right to live in a socially, environmentally and economically healthy community. That Detroit is blessed with a rich history and tremendous physical assets with opportunities for historic and environmental preservation. That the potential of the City will be best realized by embracing the broadest, most far-reaching and inclusive vision of what is possible. That citizen engagement strengthens decisions and generates confidence in the future. Agency Goals: A healthy and beautiful Detroit, built on inclusionary growth, economic opportunity and an atmosphere of trust. Mission: The mission of the City of Detroit’s Planning and Development Department is to build a city secure in its future, grounded in its roots and hopeful in its present state. The vision that supports this mission is a healthy and beautiful Detroit, built on inclusionary growth, economic opportunity and an atmosphere of trust. Engaging the Community: Community engagement is a critical part of the work we do in the Planning & Development Department (PDD). For each of PDD’s Neighborhood Framework Planning studies, conversations with community stakeholders and residents play an essential role in developing recommendations for development and revitalization projects. While each study has a slightly different approach, the steps taken often include: Holding a series of public Community Meetings over the course of the study to share thoughts, ask for feedback, and discuss concerns with residents Deploying a comprehensive communications strategy to keep residents updated, utilizing email newsletters, print mailings, door-to-door canvassing, surveys, and more Regularly convening groups of community leaders to advise and consult on the framework plan Meeting residents in smaller focus groups and listening sessions for more in-depth conversations Holding regular “office hours” during which residents can ask questions and share concerns 1-on-1 conversations with residents who represent a specific community within the neighborhood or who can share insights about a specific aspect of the neighborhood plan (such as talking with urban farmers about possible land use options) Partnering with existing institutions (local businesses, farmer’s markets, etc.) to set up additional places for engagement As a result of these strategies, we aim to accomplish the following through all of our work: Meet people where they are Be clear and accessible – no jargon! Make engagement fun and interesting Build a strong and meaningful neighborhood presence Click here for more information about our Neighborhood Framework Planning efforts During COVID-19: Community engagement is a critical part of the work we do in the Planning & Development Department (PDD). Because of the current need for physical distancing, the department PDD has developed and assembled these strategies to continue our work while we are unable to hold in-person meetings. We know that Detroiters are facing a number of challenges and have developed a wide breadth of tools to meet people – virtually – where they are: whether coping with their well-being, new working and home conditions or whether or not they have access to the internet or a computer. A given project might use a few, or even all, of these tools as appropriate to meet the needs of the community. We believe this will be a working document as we learn together with residents which of these strategies best fits the diverse needs of different community members and neighborhoods across the city to continue to have important conversations about the future of Detroit, both today and tomorrow as we work together to shape the vision for recovery. Download PDD’s Remote Engagement Guidelines Here