Envision the Future of Northwest Pasadena
A grassroots approach to urban planning workshop
PASADENA CA -- August 5. Urban planner James Rojas will bring his Place It! Workshop to the Flintridge Center in Pasadena on August 17. The ninety-minute workshop will capture the power of the individual and community to reflect, explore, and develop shared values to inform land use and transportation plans for the ideal city.
The workshop is timely, uncomplicated, and entertaining. Participants develop individual plans based on their personal experiences and wishes. They choose from thousands of small objects to create models that represent redesign of their communities to accommodate transportation beyond cars: bikes, walking, and public transit. Through play we discover!
The workshop helps participants reflect and investigate their personal relationship to their neighborhood, its physical challenges and solutions in the form of models they create. Each participant presents their model/solution to the group which Rojas translates into standard planning terms. After presentations, participants work in groups adding synergy and flow of ideas toward the creation of a community plan.
Place It! workshops challenge the traditional community engagement meeting by including art and creativity and removing participatory barriers such as abstract planning concepts, maps, and technical jargon, which often confuse and intimidate. Place It! workshops offer a safe environment that stimulates individuals of all ages and backgrounds, especially youth and immigrants, to participate in the visioning process. Place It! workshops produce better results than the traditional outreach methods because participants dive into their subconscious and access their imaginations for a deeper and more complete picture.
Mr. Rojas has facilitated over 300 workshops throughout the country, raising the consciousness of individuals as to how they connect to their built environment. Workshops help people to inspire and bond with one another and discover the ability to collaborate to find solutions.
According to Ellen Biasin, spokesperson for Neighborhoods for Sustainable Planning, the workshop sponsor, “James Rojas is a guide for people who want to see a community that reflects the way they want to live. He demystifies the process. Join us on August 17 and see for yourself.”
Envision the Future of Northwest Pasadena, a grassroots approach to urban planning. Saturday, August 17, 2013. 11 am to 1 pm. at the Flintridge Center, 236 W. Mountain Street, Pasadena CA 91103. No charge, but RSVPs are suggested: ellenbiasin@gmail.com or Facebook: Envision the Future of Northwest Pasadena.
Contact: Ellen Biasin
Telephone: 626.755.9494
