2. Welcome!
• Moderator:
– Nathaniel Karns, AICP, Berkshire Regional Planning
Commission
• Speakers:
– Nancy Stoll, Berkshire United Way
– Virginia Kasinki, Glynwood Center
– Amy Kacala, Berkshire Regional Planning
Commission
3. How has the role of planner changed?
• Then • Now
– Physical development only – Multiple non-traditional
or primary focus conversations
– Used data to provide – Much more multi-faceted
macro context interactions
– Focused on coordination & – Key role is still coordination
interrelationships at a fairly and interrelationships –
simplistic level but at a much more
complex and in-depth level
– Much higher demand for
data to be used to track
results
4. What are some of the drivers?
• Fewer resources
• More emphasis on integrated/holistic
approaches v. silos
• Focus on metrics
– Making the case/identifying the priority
– Showing impact and change over time
5. Old tools, new applications
Tools: • Project Case Studies:
Data – Early Childhood
Mapping Education
Strategic Planning – Local Food and
Agriculture
– Regional Sustainability
Plan
8. A partnership is born
• Shift to Community
Impact
– Goal-setting process
– Data-driven issue
selection
– Focus on measuring
community condition
change over time
• Partnership with
Berkshire Benchmarks
12. Where to start?
• Looking for deep, sustained change
• What can we do today to create real change
on all of these fronts in 10 or 20 years?
13. Breaking the cycle
• Early childhood education
– Decades of research show multiple long-term
benefits
• Improved school performance and educational
attainment levels
• Healthier adult lifestyles
• Better economic outcomes
• Social equity and diminishing the “achievement gap”
14. Data serves as a call to action
• 60% of
children in
3rd grade
score
proficient
or above
on MCAS
• 40% of children in 3rd grade not
proficient in English!
15. Convened a discussion of ECE Experts
• Early Childhood Education Think Tank
– High-risk family ECE/child care providers
– Pediatric/health representatives
– School district early childhood coordinators
– Foundations/Funders
– State ECE and special program administrators
– Compact for Education (MCLA), BCC
– State Readiness Center
– BRPC and BUW
16. Developed a strategic plan
• Where were they?
– Lots of initiatives, some duplication
– Trying to do same or more with less
– Struggling to get ready for QRIS
– Feeling overwhelmed!
• ECETT Strategic Plan
– 10 month effort using classic planning process
– Set roadmap for moving forward
17. Meanwhile, started a new conversation
with non-traditional partners
• Berkshire Priorities • Brought new players to
– Business Leaders the table
– Foundations • More clout in appropriate
– School Superintendents circles to help with:
– Media
– Political leaders
– Employers
– Etc.
18. Set an aspiration
• 90% Proficient of Above in 3rd Grade English
MCAS by 2020
20. Implementing as we go
• Coalitions successfully initiating projects to
effect change at family, city, and regional
levels:
– AACA/Pittsfield Promise
– Reach Out and Read – Bookend County
– Race to the Top Grant
23. Keep Farming®
• Engages the entire community – including
farmers - to support local agriculture.
• Based on information not otherwise available.
• Helps communities create land use and
economic development strategies.
• Builds the constituency to support long-term
implementation.
24. The local reality
• Challenges:
– Agriculture not seen as “real” economic activity
– Very few land use tools to protect agricultural land
– Aging farmers + low/no farm profits + high land
values = farms being sold
• Bright Spots:
– Strong “local” ethic
– Berkshire Grown – existing network and advocacy
– Understanding of passive value of landscape to the
region’s identity and economy
– New farmers looking for land
25.
26. Value of a regional approach
• Agriculture resources & infrastructure don’t
respect town boundaries so planning for them
must be done on a larger scale.
• Consistent local regulations & policies make
farming more efficient & economically viable.
• Local communities working together have
greater impact.
28. The approach
• Work with volunteers to • Who are the volunteers?
gather original data – Berkshire Grown
– Quantify Supply and – Chambers of Commerce
Demand (Surveys!) – Land Trusts
• Restaurants – Local Foundations
• Distributors – Boards of Health
• Residents – Hospitals
• Farmers – Western Mass Food Bank
• Institutions – Colleges
• Emergency Food System – Farmers
(new!) – Foodies
– Agricultural Commissions
– Community Groups
– Community garden organizers
29. Who are the volunteers?
– Berkshire Grown
– Chambers of Commerce
– Land Trusts
– Local Foundations
– Boards of Health
– Hospitals
– Western Mass Food Bank
– Colleges
– Farmers
– Foodies
– Agricultural Commissions
– Community Groups
– Community Garden Organizers
– Students
30. The approach
• Work with farmers to understand
challenges and opportunities
– Farmers forum
– Farm surveys (interviews)
– Farm maps
31.
32. Eye on implementation
• Regional steering committee with potential
implementation partners
• Regional panel series on implementation
topics
• Looking for grants as trends emerge in survey
results – don’t wait till the end
34. Required Elements in MA
• Comprehensive Plans - Required Elements
(MGL Ch41 s81d)
– Goals and Policies
• Land Use
• Housing
• Economic Development
• Natural and Cultural Resources
• Open Space and Recreation
• Services and Facilities
• Circulation / Transportation
– Implementation Strategy
35. A change of approach
• Making “sustainability”
Environment
meaningful requires a real
focus on the often
neglected third “E”
Economy Equity
36. Regional Consortium
• The “usual suspects” • New faces
– Housing – Health
– Economy – Social service
– Environment – Diversity trainers
– Municipal – Faith-based
37. Broader list, more integrated approach
• Plan elements
– Historic preservation
– Conservation & recreation
– Economy
– Housing & neighborhoods
– Energy
– Transportation & mobility
– Infrastructure & services
– Land Use
38. Economic Element
• Research into the “new economy” and
“creative economy” shows prominent role of
people and place in economic development
• Approaching economy through five themes
1. Workforce and a culture of learning
2. Open, active and inclusive social community
3. Innovation-friendly business environment
4. Quality of life
5. Local and regional leadership
39. Social equity connections to economy
emerged quickly
• PK-12 environment emphasized
– Workforce development (young workers)
– Business and talent attraction (good schools)
• Culturally competent and socially inclusive
– Talent attraction and retention
– Tourist-based economic activity
• Health and wellness
– Pedestrian-friendly environments (downtowns)
– Healthy workers
40. Housing and Neighborhoods Element
• Modeling “sustainable neighborhoods”
– Data grouped into four categories:
• People-friendly places and spaces
• Integrated and inclusive
• Safe and healthy
• Ecological footprint
– Goal is to be able to identify areas of strength and
weakness in each context (rural, suburban, urban)
41. Intentionally tackling social conditions
• Cultural competency training
• Identifying geographies of need
– Combination of conditions that make
intergenerational poverty cycle more likely to
continue
42. Getting to implementation
• Housing and neighborhoods subcommittee
– Implementation partners
– New information for them!
• Taking things from anecdotal to maps and trend lines
• Important role of RPAs in this discussion
– There are some facts people with “interests” want
to gloss over
43. What we’re learning
• New collaborations
– Different “languages” to learn
– Need to build trust
– Need to be on the lookout for property lines (turf)
and land mines (sensitivities – history,
performance, etc)
44. Feeling your way through
• DO: Become a partner and advocate
– Invite new partners to the table as connections
between topics or initiatives become clearer
– Offer to help!
– Share what you know or hear that can help them
succeed with their initiative
• DON’T: Be one-sided or insincere
– Give and take (not tug of war)
– Don’t “dial it in”
45. At a project management level
• Flexibility - modified scope of work to
accommodate new work
– Keep Berkshires Farming
– Cultural Competency
• Adaptability - willingness to have
conversations and consider new approaches
on the fly as unforeseen issues, needs, and
opportunities emerge
46. At the agency level
• Internally, thinking in a more integrated way
about the connections between our own
projects
• As RPA, these are lasting relationships that
don’t end with a project contract/grant
– Real collaborations sustained over time
– Numerous cross-pollination opportunities
47. Final Thoughts
• Started with a commitment to a result in mind
– Didn’t know all the answers
– Didn’t have all the resources in hand
• Planner tools of data, maps, and strategic
planning frameworks can make areal
contribution to grassroots and social efforts
