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As we move forward, meaningful community engagement needs to be at heart of how local authorities operate. Transport & Place teams need to know (all) communities they serve, understanding specific issues & needs.
Historically, engagement - where it happens - is primarily limited to specific schemes. It remains undervalued and derided as ‘expensive’ or ‘a nice to have’. Where it happens, it’s often dominated by the same voices & delivered too late.
Without fundamentally understanding the city’s communities, we can’t hope to deliver change that is equitable, understood, ambitious or effective. This takes leg work, a rebalance of ‘power’ and a desire to disrupt the status-quo.
By engaging with residents - and specifically those whose voices are seldom heard and often excluded - local authorities will be better placed to respond to opportunities such as StreetSpace as and when they occur.
Engagement needs to be a partnership between local authorities & residents. A collaborative effort built on trust. This will take work. Too many of our communities have been ostracised from the decision making process through systemic racism & deprivation.
By working together with local communities, we can better understand and co-develop schemes to meet need. We can ensure parity of decision making and delivery - not just answering to those who shout the loudest.
