During the course of one semester, student and faculty teams worked with
each community to develop a vision plan through a service-learning project
involving a series of three community workshops.
The first workshop introduced community members to the vision
process through the use of participatory exercises to identify how
residents use and value their local environment.
During the second workshop, students presented their preliminary
draft vision statement and explored alternatives to this vision with
community members. The final
workshop allowed for residents to review the draft vision plan and to
start thinking about future actions.
Following the development of each vision plan, the CCDR and NYS DOS
organized a meeting of representatives from each community and various
agencies to discuss ways that specific state agencies might assist these
communities as they begin implementing their vision plans.
This waterfront studio project provided a unique interdisciplinary
service-learning opportunity for ESF students as well as a research
opportunity that enabled both faculty and state agencies to evaluate the
vision planning process through comparative case studies.
The results of this project have provided a working framework for
the development of new state-sponsored City Center Program, aimed at
facilitating community-directed planning and revitalization in larger
urban areas.
See the Fair Haven Waterfront Initiative and Sodus Bay Waterfront Initiative reports for more information.