Assessment for Lakewood Neighbors

A local coalition in Lakewood, NJ has sought the support of CBI and the National Charrette Institute (NCI) to develop a collaborative planning process to help address the social and civic challenges facing the region and develop a shared future for the rapidly growing and changing region. As a first step, the CBI/NCI team engaged in a detailed situation assessment to understand the broad range of perspectives of the residents and stakeholders of the Lakewood region. CBI/NCI conducted focus groups and confidential interviews with a representative sample of leaders and key stakeholders in Lakewood and neighboring communities to understand their thoughts and concerns. They are now working on finalizing a report that summarizes the range of perspectives, identifies key issues and needs, explores concerns and needs, and ultimately recommends the design for a series of voluntary collaborative processes -including a community charrette - for developing solutions to pressing regional needs. CBI Senior Mediator Stacie Smith and NCI answer questions about their process in this charrette process Q&A published by the Lakewood Neighbors coalition. NCI also explains the importance of preparing a community for a charrette.