Outreach & Extension: Community Visioning
Visioning is a collaborative planning process in which residents develop a shared vision of their community’s future that aims to proactively address growth and adapt sustainably to change. Input from community leaders, decision-makers, key stakeholders and other residents in the visioning process is a necessary precursor to successful planning. Visioning can be used to determine a community’s strengths and weaknesses, and to assess the opportunities and threats it faces. The product of a visioning exercise may help initiate revisions to comprehensive plans and zoning regulations, as well as suggest strategies for addressing economic development, job training, education, housing, and recreation needs. Research
In order to help communities work toward more sustainable futures, in 2005 Maryland Sea Grant awarded a research grant to Washington College for a two-year project called “Visioning for Sustaining Rural Communities on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.” In Talbot County, pilot study communities with distinct needs have been selected to receive assistance, including leadership training and technical training. The key elements of the project will be 1) visioning workshops and modules and 2) the development and implementation of a GIS-based toolkit, designed to allow visioning of alternative futures based on population growth, natural and agricultural resources, zoning laws, tourism and recreational assets, and other relevant data.
Community Outreach
Sea Grant Extension staff recently co-facilitated a focus group interview in Caroline County to garner input from Hispanic youth on Caroline County’s Strategic Plan. This strategic plan has served as an educational tool for citizens while becoming a catalyst for improving growth and development actions. The plan updated Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) policies, revamping developer’s right and responsibilities decree, increased excise taxes, and analyzed schools and infrastructure capacity to accommodate future growth. The strategic plan also became a springboard for the formation of a Caroline County Council of Governments in June 2006, and will be referenced in the county’s updated comprehensive plan.
In December 2006, Maryland Sea Grant Extension co-sponsored a forum entitled, “Land Use: Fundamentals of Development.” Held in Dorchester County, the forum was open to the public and included presentations by local experts on topics such as growth issues, visioning, community services, land use decisions, planning and community involvement. Focusing on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the forum was designed to promote discussion of the area’s “sense of place” and the basic principles of growth and development.
What separates good growth from bad? What kind of landscapes, whether developed or undeveloped, does the community want?
The forum came at an important time, as many Eastern shore communities struggle to maintain control over their future in the face of continuing population growth.
