Charlotte residents were invited to participate in three community workshops around the city. Each workshop began with a presentation from City of Charlotte representatives, informing participants about impacts of recent growth; the primary purpose, objectives, and elements of the Comprehensive Plan; information about equitable growth and complete neighborhoods; key findings from the Equity Atlas, Policy Audit, and Growth Factors Report; and an in-depth look at the community’s “Hot Topics.” The presentation also included several polling questions about these topics and the community’s opinion on how Charlotte is performing in key areas. For more information, see Current Directions on page 17 of this document. One of the main portions of the workshops was a discussion about plan visioning. The City presented about the importance of a strong vision, setting realistic expectations that account for market forces, and examples of a successful vision and, subsequently, a successful plan. This was followed by a facilitated discussion, where participants were asked to share their vision for Charlotte’s future. A wall graphic recorded these vision elements as they were communicated. See the appendix for that data. The City also presented information about the next steps of the Plan, including how the input was going to be used, and ways for Charlotte residents to stay involved in the process.
To maximize participation and account for a variety of community needs, all three workshops included refreshments, childcare, and a gallery of boards presenting important plan information and staffed by City representatives. Venues were ADA accessible and interpretation services were offered. Additionally, various departments and agencies had representatives available to provide information and answer questions about services and resources of interest to participants. Participants were asked about certain aspects of the engagement, these metrics were identified during the Design Sprint, Indaba, and South End Gallery previous engagement efforts.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Common themes expressed during the community workshops included the following:
• Education and schools
• Access to fresh food and affordable healthcare
• Economic mobility
• Combating displacement
• A clean and safe environment
• Better transportation choices
• A fun and vibrant city
• Ensuring investment that benefits the community
