TITLE: Title
Report on the Planning Board's Walking Conversations
PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item is to provide the Board of Aldermen with a report on the Planning Board's "Walking Conversations" program held in October 2016.
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DEPARTMENT: Planning
CONTACT INFORMATION: Christina Moon - 919-918-7325, Andrew Whittemore - awhittemore@gmail.com
INFORMATION: Since 2012, the Planning Board has held a series of programs in recognition of National Community Planning Month, which is celebrated in October. The subject matter and format of the programs have varied, as each one has been designed to address topics that are timely and would engage the community. Previous programs have included affordable housing (2012), zoning (2013), topics relating to climate change (2014), and a review of the Carrboro Vision 2020 document (2015). While the Planning Board has always welcomed participation among other advisory board members, the last two programs were particularly collaborative.
After organizing a number of forum-style sessions for National Planning Month, the program for 2016 was quite different. The Planning Board held three "walking conversations" in downtown Carrboro. Walking conversations, known to some as Jane's Walks, http://janeswalk.org/information/about/janes-walk/ uses the traditional walking tour format to engage in conversations about the relationship or interface between people and the built environment, a concept inspired and promoted by Jane Jacobs.
A report on the topics for this year's walking conversations is provided (Attachment C). A unique approach toward community engagement, walking conversations have proven to be very adaptable and can be replicated in the future using the same three themes as 2016 or other themes, as new topics emerge and become of interest.
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: None associated with receiving this report.
RECOMMENDATION:r Staff recommends that the Board of Aldermen consider the resolutio...
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