Chapel Hill 2020

Chapel Hill 2020: Ambiguity Moving Forward

          On October 6, 2011, approximately 200 members of the community gathered at East Chapel Hill High School to participate in a “stakeholder meeting,” the second scheduled event in a series of events associated with the drafting of the Chapel Hill 2020 comprehensive plan. Equipped with high-tech voting devices and packets outlining the various proposed mission statements and themes for the plan, citizens expressed both support and concerns alike through the press of a button.

Some, myself included, left feeling a sense of disappointment that citizens in attendance had been given little opportunity to verbally articulate their frustrations in any sort of forum-like fashion. Even more, I asked myself what each of the plan’s proposed provisions really encompassed. As a student of sociology and activist for marginalized people, the ambiguity and overtly positive spin on the plan is worrisome.

2020 Stakeholder Meeting, Part Deux

Tonight residents from across Chapel Hill gathered for the second stakeholder meeting as part of Chapel Hill 2020 planning process. I’m going to structure this post, the same as I did for last one, first I’ll report what happened chronologically and then give my feedback/thoughts. 

2020 Themes Already?

Tonight makes the second stakeholder meeting in the Chapel Hill 2020 comprehensive urban planning process. If you’ve been following the 2020 Buzz blog that I posted about a few days ago (Get the Buzz on Chapel Hill 2020), you’ve probably already seen that some themes and vision statements have been posted. I like what the facilitator and planning staff have come up with and think it’s a great jumping off point, but from the perspective of my group’s discussions at the first meeting I think a lot has been left off.

The main thing I think is missing is coverage of the social aspects of Chapel Hill. My thinking on this was sparked mostly from what my small group talked about the first meeting. We spent a lot of time talking about making Chapel Hill a community that supports youth (ages 0-25) and that has a servant mindset. We also spent a good deal of time talking about Chapel Hill as it fits into the larger regional context. I can see how these topics might fit into the themes listed, but I think they deserve more specific treatment.

Get The Buzz On Chapel Hill 2020

Don't like what I'm writing on Chapel Hill 2020? Well there's good news. The town recently launched a new blog, 2020 Buzz, which will keep you abreast on all the changes in the process if you don't find my reporting sufficient :) Here's the good news on the blog: it provides another avenue to have your voice be heard. You can comment on virtually anything once you navigate away from the main page and you don't have to been a fancy Wordpress whiz to figure out how to do it. I think it can also be harnessed to be a wonderful tool for disseminating information. I would encourage the town to use a lot of multimedia if possible. People respond to images and videos in ways that they don’t respond to text, and I know a lot of people out there learn better through pictures and graphics than they do through words (myself included).

Kicking Off Chapel Hill 2020

In just a few short hours the Chapel Hill 2020 process will officially kick off with a community meeting at East Chapel Hill High School. After an open house that introduces what the process will actually be, attendees will split off into small groups to try to develop a vision for the plan and to identify key themes that the plan should focus on. Each of these small groups will be led a facilitator from the Leadership Team (see my previous post What Exactly Is The Leadership Committee Anyway?). The discussion that emerges in each group will be also be recorded by a staff person. You can check out an agenda here. And keep in mind that childcare for children over the age of five will be provided for free by the YMCA and food will available for purchase from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro PTA. 

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