The Wise Economy Workshop team was hired to assist the effort by designing the consensus-driven process and facilitating discussions amongst the Going Places committees to determine the content of the implementation tools. The consulting team conducted a survey of the committees, MVRPC Technical Advisory Committee, and MVRPC Board of Directors in December 2012 to understand the development of the initiative. The survey summary report was shared publicly.
Identifying Needs and Exploring Best Practices
The Going Places committees were jointly reconvened in April 2013. They first reviewed the key findings and challenges identified in Phase I and reviewed public feedback gathered to date. The committees reacquainted themselves with the four guiding principles of the Concentrated Development Vision. Next, the committees focused on building a shared understanding of needs, issues, and potential strategies to address those needs/issues.
During the summer of 2013, the consulting team provided technical papers designed to acquaint the participants with some of the regional planning initiatives in other regions. In addition, other important key factors were reviewed, such as the MVRPC Strategic Plan, and staff expertise and resources. The best practices research was supplemented by two public forums, called Strengthening Our Region Through Collaboration and Strong Towns: Miami Valley Edition. These forums allowed for a broader exploration of the issues that the committees were examining.
Developing the Tools
In August 2013, the committees began work to develop implementation tools through a small group cooperative decision-making process. For each theme, the consulting team, with assistance from MVRPC staff, generated an initial list of potential implementation tools. These tools were discussed in a large group, after which participants worked in collaborative small groups to analyze and evaluate the appropriateness of each potential tool using worksheets. After this analysis, each participant indicated whether they personally felt whether the tool that they had been examining should be moved forward for additional consideration. Finally, the committees voted for their five top tools per theme. All potential tools that had received six or more individual votes had received a level of support that merited their further evaluation. By evaluating the similarities and consistencies between the potential tools that met these criteria, a manageable list of eleven tools was developed.
By the beginning of 2014, the committees had compiled their work into a January 3 Executive Summary of Recommendations and Matrix of Recommended Implementation Tools. Members of the Going Places committees, MVRPC’s Board of Directors and Technical Advisory Committee were asked to take an online survey to review and indicate their level of support. The results of the January 16 Draft Tools Review Survey Summary were then shared publicly. The committees met once more to refine the recommended tools before sharing them publicly.
Sharing Implementation Tools Through Open Houses
MVRPC shared the draft list of implementation tools with the public at three open houses in February 2014 and a virtual open house. Open house attendees were provided with the February 6 Executive Summary of Recommendations and a comment form.
Posters at the open house
Virtual Open House
The virtual open house is a presentation that will lead you through the information presented at the open houses held in February 2014.
Finalizing and Approving the Implementation Tools
The conclusion of Phase III occurred between late February and May, 2014. It included the following events:
- A final online survey was held, and the February 28 MVRPC Board of Directors and Technical Advisory Committee Survey Results were posted publicly.
- The third draft of the tools with a summary of comments on the tools was prepared, and the March 3 Executive Summary of Recommendations, along with the March 3 Implementation Tools Public Participation Summary, was published.
- The MVRPC Technical Advisory Committee recommended that the Board approve the March 12 Executive Summary of Final Recommendations.
- On April 3, 2014, a presentation on the final recommendations was made, and the Board passed a resolution to approve the eleven implementation tools.
- Wise Economy Workshop completed the Going Places Implementation Tools Final Report on May 27, 2014.