Groundwork

The Groundwork phase helps communities gather insights and build a collective understanding of the neighborhood and the people who live in it.

Key Priorities

  • Identify interested and willing partners
  • Better understanding of shared problems & opportunities
  • Conduct background assessment and scoping
  • Identify key project opportunities
  • Become familiar with the Just Communities Protocol and certification program

Actions

The Groundwork phase includes the following key actions:

1

Convene Working Group

The process of launching a Just Community starts with bringing together local leaders who share a common vision and are committed to collaboration.
2

Preliminary Scoping

To assess a community’s interest in becoming a Just Community, preliminary assessment is necessary. This action provides guidance in identifying drivers for change, conducting a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis, and defining the geographic boundary of work.
3

Listen & Heal

Many communities have endured significant trauma and harm from the cumulative impacts of unjust and racist land use polices and development practices.
4

Map Community Assets

Community asset mapping is a process of identifying a neighborhood’s most significant strengths, which can include physical, economic, cultural, and environmental resources, in addition to local traditions, history, and events that shape the neighborhood’s identity.
5

Summarize

To understand the potential pace of growth (or lack of) in a neighborhood, it is important to understand the underlying drivers of change from land use plans to proposed projects that could spark gentrification.
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