Communicating Smart Growth

1
Communicating Smart Growth

• Vancouver, B.C.
• March 10, 2004
• ActionMedia
• ActionMedia.org

2
Research and Development

• 9 focus groups
• Meeting with SG practitioners
• Meeting with community foundations and the
  Funders Network

3
Participants in each group

• Voted in last general election
• Diversity of political affiliations, age, race,
  gender
• Mix of income lt30k, 30-100k, gt100k
• Urban, inner/outer suburbs, fringe

4
Objectives

• Shared values, perspectives and language.
• Group responses to different viewpoints.
• Reactions to specific issues.
• Test specific perspectives and phrases.

5
Recognize this?

• In many large and small metropolitan areas,
  theres been an explosion of growth on the edges.
  
• What was once farmland, open space or small
  villages is now booming development with new
  houses, roads, big retail stores and strip
  malls.

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Akron, Ohio

• MODERATOR What would you call this pattern of
  growth?
• Urban sprawl. ? Barbara C, Republican
• Progress. ? James, Democrat

7
Philadelphia, PA

• Urban sprawl. ? Tim, Republican
• Providing services to new home developments in
  the area. And they have to have Home Depots and
  Targets and all this stuff because people are now
  moving into new developments in the area, so
  theyre trying to accommodate the needs of the
  people. ? Ardella, Democrat
• Progress. ? Heather, Independent

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Details, details, details

• Growth issues understood best as detailed
  picture.
• Reactions vary by experienceLeading with
  principles largely unsuccessful

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Its a combination of what everyones saying
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What participants told us
We need to think about the big picture and do
good planning for the growth and progress of our
community and region, across race, class and
geographic boundaries. Its important to
maintain the investments weve already made in
older neighborhoods, and to make sure new
investments in infrastructure dont come at the
expense of what we already have.   The
community should be informed early on about
proposed projects and all the options available.
The publics views must be heard and considered.
  We have choices to make about what, where and
how we build next. These choices must be
evaluated for their economic and social benefit
of the community. Decisions must be fair to the
community as a whole. We want to consider
reusing, fixing and conserving what we have
before investing in new projects. We want
development that maintains and protects the
natural environment   We want to build safe and
secure neighborhoods that meet peoples needs
today and prepare for the needs of the future.
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Hierarchy of a frame

• Values Fairness, planning ahead, the common good
  and democracy. Also choice, security,
  convenience, conservation, and community. 
• Context Local progress, growth and development
• Issue What, where and how should we build next?
  A development proposal.

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Frame Values Context Issue
We need to think about the big picture and do
good planning for the growth and progress of our
community and region, across race, class and
geographic boundaries. Its important to
maintain the investments weve already made in
older neighborhoods, and to make sure new
investments in infrastructure dont come at the
expense of what we already have.   The community
should be informed early on about proposed
projects and all the options available. The
publics views must be heard and considered.
  We have choices to make about what, where and
how we build next. These choices must be
evaluated for their economic and social benefit
of the community. Decisions must be fair to the
community as a whole. We want to consider
reusing, fixing and conserving what we have
before investing in new projects. We want
development that maintains and protects the
natural environment   We want to build safe and
secure neighborhoods that meet peoples needs
today and prepare for the needs of the future.
13
Testing the frame

• Talk it up (practice)
• Evaluate responses by friends others
• Revise, put it in the public discourse
• Evaluate by echo effect

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Frames make people receptive to ideas and
information

• Frames set-up messages that may persuade or
  change opinions

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Competing frames

• Our Frame
• Values Fairness, planning ahead, the common good
  and democracy.
• Context Local progress, growth and development
• Issue What, where and how should we build next?

• Oppositions Frame
• Values individual liberty, consumer choice,
  free market
• Context Land use regulation
• Issue Smart Growth
• Planners, social engineers and policy wonks want
  to dictate how you live

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Frames

• Operate on what people already know and believe
• By defining the issue in terms of widely held
  values, set the terms of the debate about the
  issues.

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Shelf Space
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Finding

• Growth issues understood in local
• and specific terms.
• Participants talk from their own
• experiences and places they know.

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Messengers

• Local governmental, institutional and community
  leaders.
• Local messengers must be provided with the
  strategies, resources and opportunities to use
  the national frame to advance their specific
  local proposals.

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Finding

• Voters blame local officials for problems caused
  by poor planning
• They dont think officials are held accountable.
  

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Leadership

• Local leaders must demonstrate
• listening to the public
• working to meet community needs
• looking at the big picture.
• Apply resources to developing
• local leaders and office holders.

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Smart Growth

• Smart Growth is a good brand name.
• Smart Growth works as insider language.
• Useful for marketing principles and solutions.
• Planners, developers, policy makers, etc.

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Putting options on the table

• Base all advocacy in context of options for
  improving the local community.
• Its not about smart growth
• Using the name smart growth in public discourse
  can be a liability.

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Confidence
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Confidence
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Confidence