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Session Guide

60-Minute Education Session

SUN-A09: Democracy is Messy, and Getting Messier....

Sunday, October 29, 2023
9:00am – 10:00am CT
1.00 PDH, LA CES/HSW, AICP, FL, NY/HSW

Equitable community engagement is essential for landscape projects, but what happens when passionate but misinformed community members try to derail the community engagement process by asserting their influence? See how planners for Zilker Park in Austin and FDR Park in Philadelphia are handling the challenge of building consensus in the age of contentious social media.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Learn how designers and planners are working to strike a balance among often competing visions for the future of parks.
  • Learn how municipalities and non-profits are allocating scarce resources to counter online misinformation.
  • Understand tactics that designers and planners are using to build consensus among differing factions of the communities they serve.
  • Learn how to effectively manage communications to ensure that voices that are being drowned out by the vocal minority still have a seat at the table.