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Community Engagement

We invite and welcome all community members to collaborate and innovate with us. Through strong and equitable engagement with our community, we share and receive information about important city services and community life.

Progress Indicators

The way in which we accomplish the work set out in this plan is as important as the outcomes. This is why our commitments are essential. With the six commitments to how we do our work, the City will ensure we're following through on our strategic plan in the right way and with excellence. The Progress Indicators associated with the Community Engagement commitment are listed below.

Unmistakable Identity

Strategies:

  • Market Lawrence as a destination for parks and recreation as well as community and cultural events.
  • Enhance parks, park amenities and recreational opportunities to meet the needs of a growing city.
  • Invest in green infrastructure to provide attractive entrances to the City, a sustainable urban forest and an inviting downtown business district.

Strategies:

  • Market Lawrence as a destination for parks and recreation as well as community and cultural events.

Strategies:

  • Create programs that recover, sustain and grow the arts and entertainment community.
  • Enhance childcare options at all price levels.
  • Increase and focus resources to generate entrepreneurial and tech-related company growth.
  • Create new incentives that are targeted at businesses and industries that provide pathways to economic success for the employees, the company and the community.

Strong, Welcoming Neighborhoods

Strategies:

  • Improve the relationship of the Planning & Development Services department and the community at-large.

Safe and Secure

Strategies:

  • Provide community education and engagement on support services before, during and after traumatic events.
  • Evaluate public safety processes for opportunities to enhance environmental management practices.

Prosperity and Economic Security

Strategies:

  • Establish Lawrence as the most business friendly community in the region.
  • Make existing businesses a priority, providing robust support for business retention and expansion.
  • Provide resources and support for small and medium-sized businesses to grow and expand.
  • Create programs that recover, sustain and grow the arts and entertainment community.
  • Create new incentives that are targeted at businesses and industries that provide pathways to economic success for the employees, the company and the community.

Strategies:

  • Invest in multimodal infrastructure and services to improve mobility, safety and connectivity.
  • Prioritize and enhance timely, accurate, reliable, accessible and transparent information, processes and services to ensure a Connected City.
  • Improve multimodal connectivity with an emphasis on pedestrian and bicycle demand and transportation for disadvantaged populations.
  • Maximize ridership through Lawrence Transit route redesign and improved access, comfort and convenience for all riders.
  • Enhance transportation options and choices to minimize adverse social, economic and environmental impacts created by transportation.
  • Establish land use policies and codes that minimize the need to walk or bike more than 15 minutes for basic needs such as groceries, medicine, general merchandise, schools and transit.

Strategies:

  • Invest in multimodal infrastructure and services to improve mobility, safety and connectivity.
  • Prioritize and enhance timely, accurate, reliable, accessible and transparent information, processes and services to ensure a Connected City.
  • Improve multimodal connectivity with an emphasis on pedestrian and bicycle demand and transportation for disadvantaged populations.
  • Maximize ridership through Lawrence Transit route redesign and improved access, comfort and convenience for all riders.
  • Enhance transportation options and choices to minimize adverse social, economic and environmental impacts created by transportation.
  • Establish land use policies and codes that minimize the need to walk or bike more than 15 minutes for basic needs such as groceries, medicine, general merchandise, schools and transit.

Connected City

Strategies:

  • Invest in multimodal infrastructure and services to improve mobility, safety and connectivity.
  • Prioritize and enhance timely, accurate, reliable, accessible and transparent information, processes and services to ensure a Connected City.
  • Improve multimodal connectivity with an emphasis on pedestrian and bicycle demand and transportation for disadvantaged populations.
  • Maximize ridership through Lawrence Transit route redesign and improved access, comfort and convenience for all riders.
  • Enhance transportation options and choices to minimize adverse social, economic and environmental impacts created by transportation.
  • Establish land use policies and codes that minimize the need to walk or bike more than 15 minutes for basic needs such as groceries, medicine, general merchandise, schools and transit.

Strategies:

  • Invest in multimodal infrastructure and services to improve mobility, safety and connectivity.
  • Prioritize and enhance timely, accurate, reliable, accessible and transparent information, processes and services to ensure a Connected City.
  • Improve multimodal connectivity with an emphasis on pedestrian and bicycle demand and transportation for disadvantaged populations.
  • Maximize ridership through Lawrence Transit route redesign and improved access, comfort and convenience for all riders.
  • Enhance transportation options and choices to minimize adverse social, economic and environmental impacts created by transportation.
  • Establish land use policies and codes that minimize the need to walk or bike more than 15 minutes for basic needs such as groceries, medicine, general merchandise, schools and transit.

Strategies:

  • Invest in multimodal infrastructure and services to improve mobility, safety and connectivity.

City-Wide

Strategies:

  • Create and implement a city-wide community engagement plan.

Strategies:

  • Create and implement a city-wide community engagement plan.
  • Implement a city-wide customer relations management software system.

Strategies:

  • Invest in public participation training for City staff in every department via the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2)
  • Build an organizational culture that understands when it is appropriate to include public participation in a project and how to scope a meaningful public participation program
  • Collaborate with other outcome and commitment champions to build policies, procedures, and processes to guide the City’s public participation program
  • Develop and foster relationships with community groups who are already engaged in local issues to increase their participation; seek out relationships with underrepresented groups and encourage their participation by lowering barriers
  • Increase promotion of public participation opportunities via internal and external communications channels to ensure that residents are aware of opportunities to participate