Providing centrally located places where the community can learn about and
engage in urban design. (page 1 of 2)

Most Americans have not given much thought to the planning, urban design and municipal workings of the communities where they live. But as conflicts related to growth intensify, it seems sensible to create places where citizens, elected officials and professionals can inform themselves about how similar issues have been addressed in other parts of the country. Such places could showcase best practices for planning, successful models for sustainable development and techniques for citizen engagement.

To this end, existing museums could play an important role by creating effective exhibits that help citizens of all ages understand "human habitat" or urban design. The idea of communities as living systems worthy of museum exhibits would promote citizen interest in the health of places where they live.

Some communities such as Chattanooga, Tennessee, Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Lexington, Kentucky have created design centers–special places of community learning that focus on local urban design issues.

Such centers could be equipped with a suite of decision-support tools to ensure the active involvement of the community in developing, assessing and visualizing how it will grow. Design centers could build databases of citizens' visual preferences, make GIS resources available, provide development visualization tools, act as meeting places, and make available any other resources necessary for informed planning.

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