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Co-developing inclusive engagement with community partners and residents to create space for historically underrepresented voices to directly shape the direction of change in their neighborhood.
To design a process for change, the team reached out to community partners and residents to co-develop interactive workshops. These workshops provided historically disadvantaged stakeholders with an open seat at the design table, helping to define the project’s scope and requirements, voice critical perspectives and experiences, communicate histories, and directly shape the project’s vision for change. The effort garnered a mix of public funding, pro bono, and in-kind service contributions, allowing the project to expand its reach through a series of neighborhood events, including block parties, movie nights, traveling public art exhibits, and street fairs.
The first workshop was held during “Movie Night.” Hosted in the Key Bank Building in the evening, movies were shown for approximately 75 children and adults, and community members had the opportunity to explore a neighborhood asset floor map.
The second workshop was held at the “Hilltop Block Party.” Hosted in People’s Park, over 400 community members celebrated their neighborhood with food, local performers, artists, and activities.
A third workshop took place at the “Hilltop Street Fair.” Held along MLK and the surrounding blocks, this annual event is the Hilltop’s celebration of summer and community. This year, attendance was estimated between 12,000 and 15,000 people.
Throughout these events, hosted by Housing Hilltop, local artists presented residents with a door on which they were invited to write their hopes for the future of the Hilltop neighborhood. Photos of residents interacting with the installation were taken for display within the neighborhood and as an ongoing reference for future design teams working in Hilltop.
This diverse array of engagement activities enabled multiple generations of stakeholders—many of whom had not previously been connected to the work—to provide input and feedback. David Cutler led the project, which he began while serving as Director of Planning and Urban Design at GGLO and later transitioned to Northwest Studio in 2016.