The Carrboro Connects team was able to finally (and safely) connect in-person at pop-up events, after a year of virtual engagement.
Carrboro Connects Receives 2022 Marvin Collins Award for Comprehensive Plan
Adopted on June 7, 2022 with an unanimous vote by Town Council, the Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan was awarded the Marvin Collins Award for Comprehensive Plan by the American Planning Association-North Carolina Chapter (APA-NC). This news was announced during the 2022 North Carolina Planning Conference held Sept. 13-16 in Winston-Salem.
Carrboro’s Plan Built on Advancing Racial Equity and Climate Action
How can a community maintain existing and build new affordable housing in the rapidly growing Research Triangle region?
What actions can help meet a goal of 80% reduction in CO2 emissions to mitigate climate change impacts?
How can local and BIPOC-owned businesses be supported through sustainable economic development policies and practices?
At the start of 2020, the Town of Carrboro, North Carolina set out to answer these questions and more as part of its comprehensive planning process. The Town set a high standard of engagement to meet its goals, all in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic which required innovative approaches to virtual outreach.
“As we launched Carrboro Connects during crises of global health, climate and racism, we felt a heightened sense of concern and urgency to plan toward a better future. Community members, businesses, and Town leaders were connected in common inspiration and shared motivation. We believe the planning process has helped people feel more hopeful and less powerless during a grim time. Outstanding partners with Teska, CNT, and Teresa Lockamy helped guide us to meet the demands of the day while creating a community plan encompassing visions and actions for a brighter future.”
– Trish McGuire, Town of Carrboro Planning Director
Home to 21,000 people—a diverse mix that includes long-time residents, tech workers, immigrants, and students, faculty and staff from the neighboring UNC-Chapel Hill—the Town of Carrboro is regarded as one of the most progressive communities in the South.
In line with the community’s values, the unanimously adopted Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan is built on the twin foundations of racial equity and climate action and, for the first time, brings the Town’s ambitious goals into a single document. Some of these include:
- Increase the number of homeownership units that are permanently affordable to households earning 80% of AMI or below and increase the number of rental units that are permanently affordable to households earning up to 60% AMI.
- Achieve 80% reduction in per capita GHG emissions and municipal emissions by 2030.
- Ensure every neighborhood has at least one non-auto transportation option available for a variety of trips.
- Expand the use of renewable energy and green stormwater infrastructure across public and private properties.
- Strive for a park, playfield, or other green space within walking distance to all residents.
- Increase the amount of land available for commercial and mixed-use development.
Engagement Beyond The Usual Suspects
From the earliest conversations for Carrboro Connects, leaders felt strongly the process needed to be inclusive and representative; engaging those who had never participated or had to overcome barriers to do so. At every stage, efforts were made to reach new voices, broaden outreach and bring an understanding of race and equity.
All Task Force members and consultants were provided at least seven hours of hands-on workshop training from staff who had been trained by the Government Alliance for Race and Equity (GARE) over a period of two years. In addition to community workshops and interactive online tools, five pop-up events took place at strategic locations across Town to connect with a wide variety of residents.
Much of the engagement had to take place virtually due to the pandemic. Committed to reaching new voices, the team hosted bilingual workshops with live, in-person interpreters, and targeted Facebook Live Events to reach specific populations (one held for Spanish speakers, and one held for Burmese- and Karen-speakers co-sponsored with community partners). More input was gathered through peer-to-peer interviews, resident-submitted photos, and an interactive project website where residents could learn about the process and post ideas to an online map.
The project team reached 1,600+ individuals through over 4,000 touch-points with the website www.CarrboroConnects.org logging over 7,000+ visits, 400+ registrations, and 300+ ideas.
“Reaching out and finding people who had never sat at the table before was part of the DNA [of the plan]. I don’t think anyone can end up saying that this doesn’t reflect our entire community.”
– Susan Romaine, Carrboro Town Council Member
Native-language Facebook Live events allowed for the comfort of virtual “fireside chats” between residents and Town leaders in three languages: Spanish, Burmese, and Karen.
The Carrboro Connects engagement process used a combination of engagement techniques, such as fun and creative marketing in both English and Spanish, social media posts via Town channels and partner organizations, radio announcements, postcard mailings, email, and paper handouts at events.
Marketing and promotion of the plan also included traditional and in-person communications, including Town press releases and social media posts, materials posted at Town information Center kiosks, radio ads, branded T-shirts, video features from Town Council members, participation in the 4th of July parade, banners hung in prominent locations around Town, and printed materials at food distribution events and other community gatherings.
Carrboro Connects received the First Place Award for Citizen Participation from the North Carolina City & County Communicators (NC3C) 2022 Excellence in Communications Awards.
Implementing The Plan
The Adopted Plan includes a detailed implementation chapter for all proposed projects, as well as specific action steps for five high-priority projects in each element of the plan to be implemented between 2022-2026.
The engagement activities initiated in this planning process will continue throughout plan implementation and beyond. As one Town Council member stated, “Carrboro Connects has set the bar for a new normal for engagement in Town.”
Carrboro Connects is an ambitious but grounded plan, founded on the capabilities, aspirations, and a proven track record of a town that has been a national leader in understanding its history and developing policies and programs to bring equity of opportunity for all its residents.
Lessons Learned
- There are many benefits to virtual communications that can supplement in-person meetings in order to reach a broader cross-section of the community.
- A plan with such a large and sustained engagement process will help Town leaders make decisions regarding budget, resources, and future projects knowing that the ideas came from a groundswell of community support.
- Multiple channels of communication are helpful to reach people who are not normally involved in public processes.
- Understanding a community’s shared values – in this case, racial equity and climate action – creates a strong foundation for developing strategies and projects that gain the attention and support of the community.
Learn more about the project at www.CarrboroConnects.org