St. Louis Redefines Community Engagement

Abstract

Although community engagement has become a generally accepted and often required part of major public project planning, a study recently completed in St. Louis, Missouri, demonstrates the importance of project sponsor and technical team commitment to the process. The East-West Gateway Coordinating Council (EWGCC), the metropolitan planning organization in St. Louis, conducted a comprehensive community engagement process in three study areas aimed at “fully engaging the community at the earliest stages of planning.” Furthermore, EWGCC created a three-agency umbrella organization to sponsor the studies, with the organization facilitating interagency cooperation from the inception of the work. By negotiating independent contracts with the community engagement and technical teams, the project sponsor ensured that community engagement would direct and guide the technical work rather than respond to technical analysis after the fact. In a unique partnership of public agencies, community engagement specialists, and technical experts, the St. Louis study illustrates the essential ingredients for a successful community engagement process. First, there was commitment from the top of each organization. Second, the project sponsors place “customers” first in analyzing the region’s transportation needs. Third, the technical team was wholly committed to the community engagement process, working hand in hand with the community engagement team. Finally, building and maintaining a successful team was an ongoing, multistep process in which all parties participated from the beginning to the end of the study.