Page 558 - Sustainable Cities and Communities Design Handbook

The Power of Sustainability: The Story of Kent, Ohio Chapter j 26 527

this effort, the city was divided into eight districts. Four rounds of input
sessions were conducted in each district, resulting in a total of 8 to 14 meetings
per round. Additional sessions were conducted with targeted populations
(homeless, African American neighborhoods, downtown retail merchants, for
example) to ensure that all voices throughout the community were heard and
input captured.
The Steering Committee was instrumental in identifying groups/areas to
visit to ensure inclusion and secured locations where these groups felt
comfortable to share their input openly. Volunteers from the Steering Com-
mittee facilitated the community visioning sessions along with OSU, City of
Kent, and Kent Design Center. Facilitators received training from the OSU in
the importance of remaining neutral and respecting all participants’ views as
well as methods to capture, record, and organize input for inclusion in the
development of the plan. The following Table 26.1 is an overview of the four
rounds and the purpose and goals of each.

TABLE 26.1 Community Visioning/Input Sessions
Goals/Purpose
Round 1 l Define values and aspirations for the Kent community
l Conductasset-based fact-finding meetings
l Discover what community values and want to preserve. Could be a
tangible or intangible asset (building, feature, social environment, etc.)
l Discover what the community hopes it will be for future generations
l Learn about the three Special Planning Areas
Round 2 l Residents prioritize the ideas, assets, and values shared in Round 1 and
organize them into social, environmental, and economic columns
l Prioritize top three items in each column
l Create linkages between priority items in one column with other two to
set the stage for sustainable, multidimensional goals
l Review and respond to initial concept plans developed for Special
Planning Areas by Urban Design Center
Round 3 l Focus, in depth, on three Special Planning Area Plans
l Review architectural drawings incorporating citizen input generated
during Round 2
l Solicit additional input from community that can be used to develop
final draft of architectural drawings
l Share final draft of drawings with Planning Commission, Board of
Zoning Appeals, Environmental Commission, and the Architectural
Advisory Review Board; prepare presentation to share with community
Round 4 l Receive feedback on the draft Bicentennial Plan
l View final architectural renderings for the Special Planning Areas
through a PowerPoint Presentation