For creating time enduring developments, it is fundamental to involve the community, creating a sense of local ownership, and promoting the necessary dialog as to avoid all possible conflicts leading to endless disputes. The involvement must start from the beginning of the design, considering all points of view and the issues posed by the community. When local knowledge is taken into account, it is possible to create a development that integrates completely with the communities already present. This is a way of ensuring a successfully working development.

The degree of involvement of the community ranges from just sharing information to actually taking part actively in the designing of the development or even local citizen control. This degree depends on how interested the community is in participating.The degree of involvement of the community ranges from just sharing information to actually taking part actively in the designing of the development or even local citizen control. This degree depends on how interested the community is in participating.

As important as it is that community gets involved it is even more important that the involvement continues in the long run. A way of enhancing the latter situation is creating new residents associations that gather to address and discuss any possible issues about the functioning of the development as well as creating community trusts with their own assets. These trusts could be in charge of the management of the development and its facilities. Many cases have proved that these involvement approaches lead to successful and sustainable communities.

For further information, visit: www.communityplanning.com

back to top