Meaningful Community Engagement is the Cornerstone to the Success of Every MKSK Project
Read how one Atlanta community is engaging in creative ways to come together in a time of “social distancing.”
Meaningful community engagement is the cornerstone to the success of every MKSK project. Whether it is a new park or a strategic plan, our team of planners, landscape architects and urban designers are continually striving to develop new and creative methods to bring community voices together to form a shared vision. Through the use of interactive websites, dynamic surveys, pop-up events, tactical urbanism, mobile meetings, and community tours, we continue to deploy new techniques to involve the public.
COVID-19 has dealt the nation numerous challenges as we all work to keep our families and communities safe. It has pushed us to familiarize ourselves with the tools of virtual meetings and other forms of remote communication. In the last month, MKSK has used a number of technologies to hold virtual steering committee meetings, public meetings, and client workshops using Zoom, Facebook Live, and interactive mapping software.
While these digital solutions are essential, we have been more impressed by how our communities are coming together in creative analog ways as well. As many cities are operating under shelter-in-place mandates, we’ve found our neighbors engaging more with their immediate surroundings, whether its walking around the block, frequenting trails, or visiting parks following proper “social distancing” protocols.
MKSK has been working closely with one such community—the Upper Westside in Atlanta—to engage a broad spectrum of residents through creative activities. When our public meetings were postponed this past month, we brainstormed with the Upper West Side Community Improvement District (UWCID) to devise a way to safely get input. Nearly 6,000 postcards have been mailed to residents to allow them to tell us what their vision is for the neighborhood. Respondents are directed to either drop it off at one of the six custom designed “mailboxes” in the neighborhood (creatively designed and installed by the UWCID staff!), or to email us a picture or post it to Facebook. The postcards also direct them to the project website https://myupperwestsideatl.org/ where they can find a community survey and hands-on activities that are aimed toward families with children to have them explore their neighborhood or tell us what they’d like to see improved in their local park. This mix of digital and analog engagement not only provides holistic input, but hopefully it also helps to bring the community of the Upper Westside together as well.
We believe that while so many of us are limited to our homes and neighborhoods, this is actually an important opportunity to engage our residents, gather creative input, offer worthwhile community-building activities, and provide direction for a better future. Let us know how we can partner with you to create a similar experience for your community.
