UC Davis

In this project, I evaluate the participation of community residents, who are potentially at risk of displacement, in planning for their neighborhood and investigate strategies to increase that participation to achieve more equitable outcomes. Historically, low-income community voices have been overlooked in the process of implementing city government strategies, and even when those groups participate, there is no guarantee that their voices will be heard (Lasker & Guidry, 2009; Arnstein, 1969). Based on the findings from twenty semi-structured interviews with community residents and stakeholders in the Stockton Boulevard area of South Sacramento, the residents have keen interest to participate in planning. However, resident participation in planning is obstructed by low awareness of the ongoing projects in the community as a result of limited access to the internet and other information resources. One of the ways to increase engagement is by improving communication between planners and community members. To address the communication issue between planners and the community, in this thesis, I developed a model of Meaningful Community Engagement that implies prompt and transparent communication between planners and community residents and stakeholders at all stages of the planning process. This model will increase transparency of the planning process, which in turn will improve trust among community residents towards planners, and will lead to more equitable planning outcomes.