21 receive input, and gauge the response. Typically, conceptual design ideas have already been shared informally at public gatherings leading up to the exhibition, so that there is already familiarity with and community voice within the design proposal. 7. Mock It Up One of the key ambitions of extensive community design engagement is to keep residents engaged through as many phases of work as possible. If the larger motivation of this work is to build deep connections between communities and the natural environments that they must steward, it is critical to build ownership around the design as a bridge between the social and ecological conditions. Mocking up the proposed design experience is one step in doing this. At the Westside Riverway Park, we tested out different locations for the eventual performance pavilion by using moveable tents at Block Parties during the design stage. At the Hoosic Riverwalk, we built two full-scale “River Flags” to test out the concept of a visual marker announcing the river’s route through the city. 8. Keep the Thinking Alive We do not see our role as architects ending once construction of a public project is complete. We remain deeply engaged with the communities forged during the design process to continue addressing neighborhood issues. For example, design engagement surrounding the Westside Riverway Park led to the Westside Legends spearheading affordable housing initiatives in the neighborhood, a Redlining Study commissioned by local bank Greylock Federal Credit Union, and a new parklet to safely route pedestrians through a maze of vehicular byways produced in the 1960s and 70s as part of Urban Renewal. We have learned through the process of situating our practice and our life’s work deeply into our own local community that while global-scale social and environmental issues feel intractable, relationships between humans and ecology start at the scale of the individual. We believe that designers must deeply invest in social development and ecological stewardship as a holistic goal to contribute to the wellbeing of the future of our planet. For us, the promise of this work depends on building deep trust, and begins in our own neighborhoods, our own forests, rivers, and meadows, alongside the communities we know best. Small City Natural Environment • Feature • ARCADE
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