Equitable Community Development – Achieving Empowerment though Community-Based Neighborhood Planning

Exploring equity-based community development planning through a case study of the North Central Plan for the Vandeventer and Covenant Blu Grand Center neighborhoods in St. Louis and how lessons learned can be applied to city-wide neighborhood planning being conducted by the City of St. Louis.

Over the past 18 months, nationwide demonstrations calling for racial and economic equity and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic—which have disproportionately impacted low-income communities and communities of color—have drawn a renewed focus on the issues of community disinvestment, disempowerment, and the lack of equitable access to opportunities that characterize portions of all our nation’s cities. These issues are particularly amplified in the City of St. Louis, where residents have long-recognized the “Delmar divide”—the disparity in property values; public and private investment; access to community amenities; and a variety of educational, employment, earning, health, safety, and incarceration outcomes for communities north of Delmar Boulevard—“North City”—and south of Delmar Boulevard—the Central Corridor and “South City”.
The session will explore the creation and outcome of the North Central Plan, an equity-based plan for two neighborhoods north of Delmar that fits within the City of St. Louis’ new framework for equity-based neighborhood planning and comprise the following three (3) topic areas:
Equity-Based, City-Wide Neighborhood Planning
This topic will describe the new, city-wide initiative by the City of St. Louis Planning and Urban Design Agency to complete updated neighborhood plans for each of the City’s 79 designated neighborhoods.
The City of St. Louis has secured funding through an approved ballot initiative to complete updated neighborhood plans for every designated neighborhood in the City. In addition to providing locally-relevant, community-driven visioning and solutions to local neighborhoods issues and opportunities, this planning initiative seeks to further equitable development and outcomes for all residents by prioritizing geographies that have been historically disinvested and/or negatively impacted by past racist practices like redlining. Namely, this initiative is coordinated with the City’s Vision 2030 Equitable Economic Development Strategy and the 2018 Equity Indicators Baseline Report.
The North Central Plan is one of the first plans to be completed within the City’s new framework. It provides lessons learned that can be applied to future City of St. Louis neighborhood planning efforts. Most importantly, these 79 individual neighborhood plans are intended to collectively form the City’s new Comprehensive Plan. The lessons learned have the potential to impact the City’s long-term policy planning for a more just and equitable future.
The North Central Vision Action Plan; An Equity-Based Plan for Community Revitalization
This topic will describe the community-driven genesis, creation, and outcome of the North Central Vision Action Plan.
The genesis of this North Central Vision Action Plan is found in the original North Central Plan, completed in August 2000. Although the original North Central Plan set forth many creative recommendations for achieving these objectives, the Plan did not articulate an actionable road map for implementation. Nor did it focus sufficiently on the capacity and organization of the community, necessary components for long-term, sustained, and community-based implementation. As a result, much of the plan was never able to be effectively completed. Furthermore, the plan was never adopted by the City of St. Louis, limiting its impact on City investment and the ability to guide private development.
In 2019, a group of community residents approached the Deaconess Foundation to discuss a partnership to update the plan. This initial outreach, fitting within the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being’s mission and charter, forged a partnership between North Central neighbors, the Deaconess Foundation, and the United Church of Christ (UCC) Church Building & Loan Fund (funding partners). The Deaconess Foundation facilitated formation of a community Steering Committee and, over 12 months of engagement with this Committee, initiated this community-based planning process.
The asset-based planning process put equity at the center, implementing a SOAR analysis methodology to define the Core Values of the community. The resulting plan is a visionary but achievable plan to revitalize the neighborhoods, assets, and amenities of the North Central community. In order to make this vision a reality, the North Central planning process and this plan are built upon the following guiding principles:
•Equity at the Center
•Asset-based Revitalization
•Holistic Sustainability
More specifically, North Central Vision Action plan seeks to create:
1.A community with stronger stakeholder relationships between residents, businesses, community organizations, faith-based organizations, and government (elected and appointed officials, public health, public safety, and public works departments schools, etc.);
2.A clear vision for redevelopment which addresses the need for inclusive housing and economic development policies;
3.A roadmap and timetable for the implementation of both short and long-term projects and policies, that will improve the lives of residents and businesses in the North Central Plan footprint;
4.The City of St. Louis’ adoption of a revised North Central Plan based on the Community’s Vision Action Plan; and
5.Informed and engaged neighborhoods prepared to influence policy changes, access local, state, and federal funding and attract private investment.
Equitable Community Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This topic will describe the toolkit of community engagement techniques utilized to reach community residents and stakeholders and conduct a public planning process in the midst of a global pandemic, including successes, failures, and lessons learned.
The North Central Vision Action Plan is the product of a robust, equitable, community-led engagement and outreach approach. The planning process builds the residents’ capacity and their commitment to the continued revitalization of the area. Public engagement activities were conducted over a seven-month period, kicking-off in September 2020.
This process occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus has disproportionately affected people of color, especially African-Americans who are three times more likely to get COVID-19 and to die from it. Because of the pandemic, the engagement and outreach plan included techniques to keep both residents and the planning team safe. It remained fluid, subject to change based on the pandemic and what was learned at various stages of the planning process.
To create a Plan with Equity at the Center, the planning process was transparent, accessible to all, and tailored to the community. The Planning process was organized around three principals for equitable community engagement: (1) inclusion; listening to a representative cross-section of the community, diverse in demographics, perspectives, and lived experiences. (2) Accessibility; ensuring all members of a community can access and fully participate in the engagement space and process, meeting people where they are and overcoming common barriers. (3) Transparency; sharing information with the community, asking for input and responses, and reporting back to the community how their feedback has been incorporated. The planning process utilized five (5) key engagement techniques, which aim to meet the requirements of the City of St. Louis for Plan adoption:
1.Steering Committee (26 members): A Steering Committee, composed of community representatives and stakeholders from neighborhood block units, associations, churches, and businesses led the planning process to develop the strategic vision and core values for the plan. They met five (5) times through the planning process. The Committee voted to approve The North Central Plan on May 12, 2021.
2.Stakeholder Interviews & Focus Groups (28 participants): Interviews were conducted to gain insight about the conditions of North Central and the vision of community stakeholders for growth and improvement, including: Neighborhood Safety; Housing; Economic Development (Business Owners); Community Health and Well-Being; Arts, Culture, & Entertainment Institutions and Organizations; Education Institutions; Religious Institutions; Senior Residents; Youth Residents; and Stakeholders from Surrounding Neighborhoods.
3.Community Well-Being Survey (281 respondents): A detailed community well-being survey, to assess residents needs and desires for community services and quality of life considerations, was conducted using door-to-door and phone canvasing of the neighborhood. Surveying activities began on September 18, 2020 and continued throughout the planning process. Surveying was conducted by a community-based partner, the Action St. Louis Power Project.
4.Neighborhood-Wide Meetings & Events (141 attendees): Public kick-off of the process began with tree planting at Scruggs Memorial Church, followed by a gathering to learn more about the North Central community. Four (4) Town Hall Meetings were hosted—both in-person and virtually—at each Phase to bring the community together for the opportunity to review the work of the Plan and provide input. A Plan Celebration event will celebrate the completion of the North Central Plan and give residents a chance to view the final plan.
5.Website & Online Engagement (2,595 unique visitors): The North Central Plan website is a place for residents to view project information, ask questions, leave interactive feedback (through a map-based comment platform and a virtual idea wall), and learn how to be involved and informed through the plan’s development. All of the project’s information and documents is catalogued for transparency.
Over 400 unique North Central area residents and stakeholders participated in this process, through which the North Central Plan was created, and over 2,500 residents were reached through in-person and online activities.