| City of Ellensburg City taps civic pulse for key decisions |
||
 |
|
|
|
Ellensburg, Washington has a phoenix-like background - and a long history of citizens inspired by the 12-month rebuilding of its downtown following an 1889 fire. What rose from the ashes was and is a monument to civic ambition and cooperation. As much or more than anything else, downtown defines Ellensburg. But in today's marketplace, how do such things translate to planning? Can "Big Box" co-exist with urban-scale retail? Ellensburg's comp plan update presented those questions and more, and tested the town's very identity. Given the challenge to engage as many citizens as possible, Studio Cascade led an innovative, intensive public process that involved folks on many levels. From informal "pennyweighting" polls, to topic-table workshops, to a full-on project website featuring live commenting and complete project documentation, SCI connected people with the process. Result? A City-commissioned phone survey showed 57% of residents said they were either "mostly" or "very familar" with the comp plan process, and that 14% of Ellensburg's citizens had attended one or more of the project meetings. Final Council adoption of the new plan was enacted March 19, 2007.
|
||
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
A series of open houses, workshops and charettes helped inform, build support for, and even help design Ellenburg's land-use decisions. |
Studio Cascade built Ellensburg's project page to include full-process documentation, live commenting, a gallery and many other features. CTED comments: "phenomenal. What a fantastic public outreach tool!"
|
|
