Tools

TOOLS

In this Toolkit, the civic engagement tools are divided into three categories based on the primary type of organizational, community or social obstacle that needs to be addressed. Below is a brief summary of each toolkit category followed by a chart with further descriptions along with names of the actual tools that have been included in the Toolkit.

Community Conversations—The tools that focus on community conversations are intended to lead to greater understanding problems, perspectives, alternatives and solutions, as well as to acknowledge aspirations, concerns and ideas. These tools are citizen-centered and stress the importance of facilitation, dialogue, mutual respect, and collective learning.

Community Spaces—The tools that address community spaces are designed to generate immediate ways to make a physical or geographical place better, as well as to figure out long-term investments required to sustain success. These tools derive from architecture and related fields and offer ways for feedback, participation, and visioning from diverse people and populations in the design process.

Community Planning—The tools that lead to community plans are focused on aligning decision-making with recommendations of the wider public and to create clear opportunities and responsibilities for collaboration and action. The tools selected to be included in this Toolkit are rooted in deliberative planning processes in which both those affected are given voice and the participatory structures give as much decision-making power to citizens as possible.

Table 1: Overview of Civic Engagement Tools

Tools	Community Conversations	Community Spaces	Community Plans
Use When…	The community is divided, decision-makers are not listening to the public, and people do not trust in each other. The community needs to develop a shared vision.	A physical or geographic place needs to be improved and made more valuable to many different users by the involvement of multiple interests	The public, private and community sectors are willing to come together and create common action plans for a region or priority issue
Goals	-To understand problems, perspectives, alternatives, solutions -To acknowledge aspirations, concerns, and ideas	-To generate immediate ways to make a place better -To figure out long term investments required to sustain success	-To align decision-making with recommendations of the wider public -To create clear opportunities and responsibilities for collaboration and action
Components	-Fact sheets -Surveys -Public hearings -Dialogues -Debates	-Walking tours -Design charrettes -Workshops -Physical planning and design -Cleanup projects	-Public forums -Small meetings -Inventories -Resource analysis -Grant proposal development
Tools	-Study Circles -Public Conversations Project -Harwood What’s Your Story & Take A Step	-Project for Public Spaces -Dynamic Planning Charrette	-America Speaks -Neighborhood Planning

The Community Challenge Engagement Toolkit contains guidance on how to select a civic engagement tool and how to develop a civic engagement process. It is also a rich repository of human, online, and print resources for civic engagement. Links to online resources for several tools in the Toolkit, along with other printed resources are listed below. Each core partner has copies of the Toolkit available for public use. Call the Community Challenge Hotline for more information at 810.233.5468 ext 3.