New report centers the Kensington Community’s Voice
Published 12/19/2023
Kensington Planning Process: History, Context, Voices
The first of three reports, Kensington Planning Process: History, Context, Voices, is now available. The report includes a historical analysis on Kensington, a set of data points that illustrates the social and economic conditions of the neighborhood today, and the results of a broad and inclusive community engagement process that was transparent and intentional in growing participation across our study area.
What is this report?
This report illustrates the efforts of many stakeholders to push forward a comprehensive, community-driven, and trauma-informed strategy for development and the revitalization of Kensington as an equitable community.
This report is not a list of comprehensive solutions and an implementation plan but rather it is the culmination of a process to increase community participation around decision making and information that creates context of how we got here and where we are. This is just one example of how collaboration and collective power, as well as a shared knowledge of the complexity of intersecting crises in Kensington, can lead us to transformation and sustained community change.
Engagement Process
This process drew on years of previous engagement efforts and community relationships to ensure that engagement is ongoing, flexible, and truly participatory. In September of 2023, a Toolkit was published in several languages that was used by residents to engage with one another around a set of past-defined priorities, also leaving space for new ideas.
Published on our website and made available to groups throughout the community, over 50 pockets of people comprised of over 500 individual participants across our service area utilized the Toolkit and gathered to discuss their priorities and vision for Kensington.
The Pockets of people who came together were comprised of entire blocks, civic associations, faith-based organizations, friends groups, businesses, cultural institutions, nonprofit organizations, school communities, and other stakeholders.
As part of this step in the engagement process, we shared past community defined priorities with participants to which participants immediately agreed they were still priorities and began sharing what they felt were potential solutions. Among the priorities are mitigating the narcotics trade, safety of public spaces, economic development, investing in human capital, affordable housing, and resident health.
What did we find?
A history of disinvestment and failed imposed strategies created intersecting crises and an island of isolation in Kensington, leading to a traumatized yet resilient community ready for change but still under incredible economic, political, and social pressure. While historically, policymakers have approached the complexity of Kensington’s challenges with single strategy approaches, the result of the process of engagement outlined in this report is evidence of why residents need to be centered in any community development process.
When asked to identify priorities for Kensington, participants brought a lived understanding that most who hold power and resources do not have. Residents were able to see not only the intersection of challenges in their community, but the need for comprehensive strategies to address them, further supporting the necessity of comprehensive, community-driven, and trauma-informed approaches for transformation in Kensington.
Next Steps
In January, we will hold sessions to hear from anyone who would like to participate. Later in the winter, we will release a second report, Kensington Planning Process: Alignment, that reflects this feedback and aligns the community’s priorities with other current planning efforts.
As part of an ongoing, flexible, and participatory process, we will continue to align, convene, and work to co-create solutions. With an engaged community, a shared set of data and context, a set of priorities from the community, and resources identified by government as well as the private and non-profit sector beginning this winter, we will spend the next 6-8 months convening stakeholders on each of the top priorities with a goal of co-creating comprehensive and trauma-informed strategies to sustainably and effectively address the greatest challenges facing Kensington. In the summer and fall, we will release a third report, Kensington Planning Process: Implementation, and begin implementation of the co-created strategies.