The East San Gabriel Valley (ESGV) Area Plan will have a significant impact on communities within the plan area. In order to appreciate community perspectives and gain feedback on this large planning effort, our team has been developing several strategies to get the word out about the project, engage in community workshops, and leverage partnerships with regional institutions.

Getting the Word Out

Many people experience good community planning and bad community all the time, but they may not realize that what they are looking at is the result of planning efforts. They may not even be aware that there is a whole department that uses planning to make communities great places to live! With a multi-year planning effort, such as the ESGV Area Plan, letting folks know about the work we do and what we are working on is important from the start. Our project team has been doing this in a variety of ways, such as:

• Making presentations at standing community group meetings.
• Tabling at local community events and places, such as fairs, festivals, or parks.
• Connecting with the public through social media.

The East San Gabriel Valley is a very diverse region, home to people from many different backgrounds. In order to reach the largest extent of residents, we are translating our project materials in multiple languages in order to improve access to information.

Community Workshops

By working with the public in community workshops, our team can help teach planning concepts as well as develop strategies to create new opportunities in communities. We have shared information previously about “Place-it!” workshops (picture below), where we help residents revisit fond memories to help identify values. These values can then be used to help vision communities that fits the needs of residents.

In addition to this one method, our team is working to develop additional workshops to teach planning concepts to the public. These “Planning Academies” would match terms and concepts to perspectives that many people are already aware of, but may not know of the context yet. These new workshops are in development, and we are excited to keep you all updated as these plans move ahead.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Our project team has been on the lookout for groups and institutions that we can collaborate with on the ESGV Area Plan. These groups and institutions are often full of unique perspectives and knowledge that we can make use of to make the Plan more inclusive.

Educational Partnerships

It is no surprise that the ESGV, as well as the larger Los Angeles region, is full of long-standing educational institutions. We are working closely with groups at Cal Poly Pomona, the University of Southern California (USC), and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to engage in area research and develop planning strategies. These colleges have some of the best planning programs and students in the country, and we are excited to collaborate with them!

In addition to collaborating with local colleges, we are also developing a planning-related curriculum geared for high school students. The ESGV Area Plan will guide growth in the area for quite some time, so we want to make sure that the next generation of ESGV residents have a chance to provide valuable input to this plan.

Artist Collaborations

To help appreciate and celebrate the unique fabric of communities that makes the ESGV so great, we are working with artists to explore the different identities that the area offers. The work of the Fonografia Collective is internationally known, and we will make sure to provide updates on their progress.

As you can see, our community engagement must take a variety of forms in order to reach such a diverse group of residents. Do you have any comments or suggestions about our engagement strategy, let us know!