Getting Out to Where the People Are
by Elaine Cogan
Elaine Cogan looks at how a shopping mall became the location for a creative planning event.
From PCJ #40, Fall 2000
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We’re Having a Public Event at the Shopping Mall. Won’t you Drop by and Tell us What
you Think about the Future of our Town?
It was a sunny Friday. People were at their local mall as usual, shopping, strolling, meeting their friends and neighbors. Prominent among the storefronts, in the center of all the activity, was something new: a display about Our Town -– what it is and what it might become, depending on the planning decisions that soon would be made.
Maps and drawings and possible alternatives in simple text were displayed attractively. Staff and commissioners stood nearby to engage onlookers in conversation and entice them to participate. People were invited to stay as long as
they liked -– to write their comments on the displays and handy pads of paper,
talk to planners, fill out questionnaires, and otherwise participate in a low-key
but important exercise to help determine their community’s future.
Compliments abounded. "No one ever asked my opinion before!" "Thanks
for coming out to the mall. I never have time for meetings." "It's great that you’ll
be here after work. I’ll be back with my husband." Seniors dropped by and wrote
down their opinions, all the while reminiscing about days gone by. Teen rappers
and mall employees were quick to point out what they liked and did not favor
about the suggested alternatives. A diverse variety of people was obviously
comfortable and familiar in the mall environment and willing to participate when asked. ...
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