31 Small City Anchor Institutions • Feature • Bohannon Universities are also well-positioned to create low-risk environments for experimentation. Planning departments often have limited room to test new ideas because of public accountability and legal constraints. Universities can provide space to explore alternative approaches, pilot engagement methods, or test design scenarios before they are formalized. That shared experimentation helps designers and planners build confidence working together and opens up new possibilities for practice. Equally important is the way universities can model ethical, communitycentered engagement. Productive relationships between designers and planning departments depend on trust with communities. When universities demonstrate accountable, respectful engagement, center community knowledge, are transparent about limits, and sustain relationships over time, they foster better collaboration among all parties. Community Design. Apalachicola, Florida. UVA School of Architecture.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0OTQ5OA==