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INTRODUCTION SERVICE AREA VISION PARK PLANS IMPLEMENTATIONPLANNING PROCESS <br />EAST OF THE RIVER PARK MASTER PLAN <br />OPERATIONS AND <br />MAINTENANCE <br />initiatives at MRPB including the Green Team <br />program. <br />At CAC meeting #5, the CAC and general <br />public participated in MPRB’s first ever Data <br />Jam. In an effort to involve the community <br />in not just the gathering of data, but in <br />the interpretation of that data, meeting <br />participants were asked to sift through <br />collected community engagement and <br />demographic data. They developed major <br />topics for both the service area as a whole, <br />and for each individual park. They worked <br />both individually and collectively, having <br />excellent arguments about what the “public” <br />was actually saying. <br />The results of the Data Jam fed directly into <br />the initial designs of the parks themselves, <br />which were also prepared in a new and <br />different way. In order to diversify the pool <br />of designers involved in the park designs <br />and to open the process to the CAC and <br />public, over twelve designers, planners, and <br />park staff came together for one week and <br />helped generate initial park designs. These <br />multi-disciplinary design teams represented <br />gender and race diversity. They worked <br />during an intense 4 ½ days that involved site <br />visits, a charette-style working environment, <br />and public events. Design week began with <br />CAC #6, at which CAC members presented <br />guidance from the Data Jam and working <br />groups, then sat at tables with the designers <br />and began thinking about park amenities <br />and arrangement. Two days later, MPRB <br />opened the design studio doors for a public <br />walk-through, where community members <br />could see the designers’ early ideas and <br />chat again with them about park designs. <br />Design week resulted in two concepts for <br />each park and triangle in the service area <br />that were a combination of the hopes of the <br />community, innovations in park design, and <br />policy direction. Each park concept balanced <br />being data driven and a creative vision for the <br />community. <br />Following design week, two concepts of each <br />park were shared out with the general public <br />for feedback. The planning team hosted <br />four events during this period in addition to <br />the online survey that was open for almost <br />two months, to facilitate robust community <br />dialogue about the concepts for each park. <br />The events included a BBQ with a DJ at a park, <br />a happy hour at a local brewery, a bus tour of <br />all the parks, and a pop-up engagement series <br />in the parks across the service area, called <br />the Plan Van. The Plan Van, hosted by the <br />Youth Design Team and MPRB staff, included <br />a mobile display of all the park concepts, free <br />popsicles, and many opportunities for users <br />of parks to spontaneously provide feedback <br />on the park designs. The Plan Van took the <br />planning process directly into the parks and <br />made it possible for people with a deep <br />understanding of the parks, the users, to <br />weigh in on the designs without having to go <br />online or attend a meeting. <br />Image 12 | Community designed service area map. Source: MPRB <br />23