Our Chapel Hill 2020
Tonight residents from
across Chapel Hill gathered for the second stakeholder meeting as part of
Chapel Hill 2020 planning process. I’m going to structure this post, the same
as I did for last one, first I’ll report what happened chronologically and
then give my feedback/thoughts.
Tonight makes the second stakeholder meeting in the Chapel Hill
2020 comprehensive urban planning process. If you’ve been following the 2020 Buzz blog that I posted about a
few days ago (Get
the Buzz on Chapel Hill 2020), you’ve probably already seen that some
themes and vision statements have been posted. I like what the facilitator and
planning staff have come up with and think it’s a great jumping off point, but
from the perspective of my group’s discussions at the first meeting I think a
lot has been left off.
The main thing I think is missing is coverage of the social
aspects of Chapel Hill. My thinking on this was sparked mostly from what my
small group talked about the first meeting. We spent a lot of time talking
about making Chapel Hill a community that supports youth (ages 0-25) and that
has a servant mindset. We also spent a good deal of time talking about Chapel
Hill as it fits into the larger regional context. I can see how these topics
might fit into the themes listed, but I think they deserve more specific
treatment.
Don't like what I'm writing on Chapel Hill 2020? Well there's good
news. The town recently launched a new blog, 2020 Buzz, which will keep you
abreast on all the changes in the process if you don't find my reporting
sufficient :) Here's the good news on the blog: it provides another avenue
to have your voice be heard. You can comment on virtually anything once you
navigate away from the main page and you don't have to been a fancy Wordpress
whiz to figure out how to do it. I think it can also be harnessed to be a
wonderful tool for disseminating information. I would encourage the town
to use a lot of multimedia if possible. People respond to images and videos in
ways that they don’t respond to text, and I know a lot of people out there
learn better through pictures and graphics than they do through words (myself included).
In just a
few short hours the Chapel Hill 2020 process will officially kick off with a
community meeting at East Chapel Hill High School. After an open house that
introduces what the process will actually be, attendees will split off into
small groups to try to develop a vision for the plan and to identify key themes
that the plan should focus on. Each of these small groups will be led a
facilitator from the Leadership Team (see my previous post What Exactly Is The
Leadership Committee Anyway?). The discussion that emerges in each group
will be also be recorded by a staff person. You can check out an agenda here.
And keep in mind that childcare for children over the age of five will be
provided for free by the YMCA and food will available for purchase from
the Chapel Hill-Carrboro PTA.
Earlier this evening the first meeting of Chapel Hill 2020’s
leadership team was held. So far there seems to have been much confusion on how
the whole planning process will work, so I’m going to try to clear that
muddiness up with all my newfound knowledge.
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