Brownfield Project Visioning Workshops
Imagine what a perfect Kentucky community would be. Now, draw it. That is the directive given to those who attend the Kentucky Brownfield Redevelopment Program's Vision-to-Action events. Developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this method has proven to be effective in assisting communities to create strategies for land revitalization.
Attendees are given a brief orientation of the Vision-to-Action process and then, with markers, crayons and paper, draw what they want for their community. Even the least likely of artists are engrossed in this right-brained activity. All drawings are welcome and they range from stick figures to detailed designs. After rendering their communities, participants are given time to speak about their visions. Then participants go back to their original design to incorporate new ideas they heard during the sharing process. They can do this through additional drawing and through small drawings and pictures of various community amenities that are provided by visioning facilitators.
Then, it is time to share again. This time, participants and facilitators are able to identify common community visions and themes. After those themes are identified, facilitators talk about strengths, weaknesses and opportunities attached to the vision. Facilitators also help identify funding and resources to help accomplish the vision.
An artist is given all of the information gathered from the Vision-to-Action session and renders a set of drawings that represent the common themes identified. They are given to the community to be used as marketing, communication and educational tools for their plans, which will assist them in obtaining support and funding for projects. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.
For more information about visioning sessions, email envhelp@ky.gov.