Engagement from the Community Perspective: Understanding the Role Community Associations Play in Planning and Development in Calgary
Date
2023-09-19
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Abstract
Change, through urban planning, is inevitable and necessary because it responds to growth, community needs, and the ever-changing economy. To steer change, planning projects benefit when effective community engagement programs are applied. Community associations have long been advocating on behalf of their communities, however the level of influence they have on decision-making is unclear in part to their level of authority being unclear. Interviews helped answer two connected research questions. The first question focuses on community associations by asking: What is the role community associations play when an urban planning project is proposed within their community? The second question focuses on authority: Should the level of engagement vary based on the level of impact the planning project may have on the community, as identified by the community association? Community voices from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, shared their experiences with engagement on planning and development projects. Three overarching themes emerged through inductive and deductive analysis of the interview data: constraints community associations experience with community engagement; opportunities of community engagement; and frustrations felt by community associations in regard to community engagement opportunities. The study results suggest that community associations are limited to instill change through engagement, despite their perceived role. Based on the research data, three recommendations to support community associations are proposed: extending timelines and enforcing engagement on complex planning projects, redefining the role of a community association, and developing community engagement profiles. The impact of these recommendations presents three opportunities to evolve community engagement in planning at a community level.
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Community Engagement, Public Participation, Community Associations, Redevelopment, Urban Planning, Development, Volunteer Organizations
Citation
Poschmann, R. A. (2023). Engagement from a community perspective: understanding the role community associations play in planning and development projects in Calgary (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.