3. Empower trusted community groups as partners

Why is this intervention important. or how did it come to be included?

Some of us have spent decades building relationships within the community. We know the best ways of getting all the information to residents so that they can form educated opinions and make informed decisions. Shouldn’t the city want to work with us to engage residents better? …What does it take to be in ‘good standing’ with the BPDA and be seen as a trusted partner?

- Marilyn Foreman, Dorchester community leaders, activist, and organizer

  • Partner with community and neighborhood groups practicing people-centered engagement, rooted in equity

    There are countless community/neighborhood groups and associations in the city of Boston. Many of these groups have gained a lot of trust in their local communities and are practicing people-centered engagement themselves. BPDA should partner with these organizations for more effective outreach and engagement. BPDA should have reasonable standards for partners, including that the diversity of their catchment area is reflected in their participants/membership, and their own engagement efforts reflect a people-centered approach. These standards should be readily available on the BPDA website.

    See example

  • Provide financial support to community partners in good standing

    When community groups have shown to practice people-centered engagement themselves, BPDA should equip these groups with financial resources to support their partnered outreach and engagement efforts. This will significantly increase the capacity of BPDA Engagement Managers to engage communities. A very simple partnership agreement should be drafted to be sure expectations are agreed upon. These partnerships should be transparently displayed on the BPDA website.

  • Empower community partners to assemble meetings, disseminate information, and collect feedback directly

    Trusted community groups and organizations are often better positioned to gather residents, disseminate information, and solicit feedback through their own mechanisms. BPDA should sanction these activities and consider feedback gathered as “official” public comment, provided the group continues to meet people-centered engagement standards.

    See example

  • Create space for community partners in "closed door" BPDA-developer meetings

    Allow trusted community partners access to pre-filing meetings with developers and other “closed door” meetings related to developments in their communities. Bringing residents in earlier and more can help establish trust and give more opportunity for making the community’s priorities known before the development gets too far in the process.

    See example

  • Encourage developers to establish direct relationships with community groups

    While BPDA can’t legally require developers to do more than is established by law (Article 80), BPDA can encourage developers to engage directly with trusted community partners. This should be encouraged in the pre-filing stage, where the project is still largely moldable. A simple “best practice guide” for engaging communities early can be provided to developers along with a list of local partners.

    See example

  • Build relationships within communities when there are no projects on the line

    Having consistent presence within communities when there are no projects and decisions to be made goes a long way in building trust. Support groups in their block parties, community events, etc. for on-going relationship building.