We believe community engagement is the foundation for any successful project - and that it should always be useful, timely and fun.
Learn more about our approach here >, and check out the list below for some of our recent community engagement projects.
Hennepin County, in developing its first pedestrian plan, sought to maximize opportunity to gather insights from community members living in urban, suburban, and rural communities, with special emphasis on connecting with residents living in low-income and health disparity communities.
CDG developed a multifaceted community engagement and communications strategy to reach focus populations as well as the larger, general population of county residents. CDG’s activities for this project included:
Commuter rail was first identified as the preferred transit technology for the Red Rock Corridor more than a decade ago. New conditions along the corridor, and new options for providing service prompted a reexamination of transit alternatives for service along the corridor. The Red Rock Corridor Alternatives Analysis Update (AAU) sought to evaluate alternatives based on a variety of factors, including cost, potential ridership, and satisfaction of riders' needs and vision.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) conducted a study to reexamine all of its bicycle-related policies and practices with the aim of better integrating bikeway facility planning and implementation into its day-to-day business.
Community engagement (conducted statewide) was an important part of this project as members of the public have insights and experiences that can help MnDOT become a more proactive partner in improving conditions for bicycling throughout the state.
CDG continued a successful set of collaborations with Minneapolis Public Schools and Arts for Academic Achievement. During the 2011-2012 school year, we worked closely with teachers and 5th grade students at Emerson Spanish Immersion School to explore urban planning and design topics. The classes were structured around a larger community dialogue called "Plan it Hennepin” which sought to imagine a re-energized and refreshed Hennepin Avenue as a walkable and unified cultural corridor stretching from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden to the Mississippi Riverfront.
Minneapolis is known as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the nation - but there is still a lot more to do to invite new users from all Twin Cities communities to the system.
As part of the rollout of new bicycle infrastructure projects in locations throughout the Twin Cities, Transit for Livable Communities and Bike Walk Twin Cities funded a communications and marketing project to engage and invite new users to these facilities.