In the summer of 2006, faculty Vicente del Rio and Umut Toker developed a series of community workshops in Traver, Calif., towards a participatory concept plan envisioning local development and future growth. In this article they discuss the active involvement of the community and the successful results of this planning process

del Rio, Vicente

Toker, Umut

English

DigitalCommons@CalPoly

Traver is a small community of around 180 families in Tulare County, along State Highway 90 in California.	The	closest	cities	to	the	north	are	Kingsburg,	only	seven	miles	away,	and	Fresno,	which	is at a short 20-minute drive. Visalia is about 21 miles south off of Route 198. Agriculture, a flouring mill and the railroad were responsible for making Traver a thriving town in the 1880s. Unfortunately, it only lasted until the end of the 19th century, when a series of devastating fires and a sudden increase in	the	alkali	levels	damaged	the	agricultural	soil.	Most	of	the	population	and	businesses	were	scared	out	of	Traver,	and	the	community’s	development	came	to	a	grinding	halt,	until	recently,	despite	the	proximity to the highway and to larger towns (Figure 1). In the beginning of 2006, Cal Poly’s City and Regional Planning	 Department	 was	 contacted	 by	 George	 Nord,	principal	of	Traver’s	Elementary	School.	Having	served	in	the	school	district	for	many	years	and	having	developed	a	strong	attachment	to	Traver,	Nord	is	a	community	leader	legitimately	concerned	about	the	future	of	the	community.	Besides	 Traver’s	 evident	 need	 for	 better	 infrastructure	and	services,	Nord	feared	that	the	town	would	eventually	succumb	to	haphazard	highway	commercial	development	and	 to	 speculative	 housing	 due	 to	 the	 demand	 of	 the	nearby	cities	and	the	Central	Valley	in	general.	Since	he	was	familiar	with	the	potential	of	good	planning	and	with	the	community-outreach	projects	developed	by	the	CRP	Department,	he	contacted	us	 to	support	his	quest	 for	a	better	future	for	Traver.Faculty	members	Vicente	del	Rio	and	Umut	Toker	 took	the	task	of	helping	the	community	and	developed	a	plan	through	a	participatory	process	during	the	summer of 2006. During the fall quarter, the third year class “Community Design Lab” (CRP 341) with	instructor	del	Rio,	went	further	and	developed	the	Traver	Urban	Design	Plan.1 With	the	strategic	support	of	the	County	of	Tulare’s	community	development	specialist	Frank	Ruiz	–	who	acted	as	the	liaison	between	the	Traver	community	and	the	Cal	Poly	team	–	two	contracts	were	signed	between	the	county’s	Community	Development	and	Redevelopment	Department	and	Cal	Poly	Corporation.	The Traver Concept PlanThe	Traver	Concept	Plan	was	developed	through	a	participatory	process	based	on	the	understanding	that	 community	 involvement	 and	participation	 in	 decision	making	 is	 fundamental	 in	 planning	and	design.	Community	participation	not	only	permits	a	better	understanding	of	existing	problems	and	In the summer of 2006, faculty Vicente del Rio and Umut Toker developed a series of community workshops in Traver, Calif., towards a participatory concept plan envisioning local development and future growth. In this article they discuss the active involvement of the community and the successful results of this planning process.Vicente del Rio, Ph.D., is a professor at Cal Poly’s CRP Department.  Umut Toker, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at  Poly’s CRP Department . Traver ConCepT plan:a parTiCipaTory proCessViCente del rio and umut tokerFigure 1Aerial photo of Traver, showing State Highway 90 and the railroad tracks. Image from Google Earth.color) on the left, and California on the right.	1 See the article “Traver Urban Design Plan” by Michael Costa in this issue of FOCUS.71f o c u s  |  2 0 0 7  |  v o l u m e  I Vpotentials,	but	it	also	guarantees	representative	and	equitable	decisions	and	proposals.	In	a	small	non-incorporated	community	such	as	Traver,	with	a	long	history	of	basic	needs,	participatory	planning	processes	are	ideal	to	empower	citizens	and	make	them	aware	of	their	own	needs	and	potentials,	to	encourage	stronger	community	representation,	and	to	foster	the	involvement	of	the	stakeholders	in	plan	implementation	and	in	other	civic	affairs.The	main	goal	of	the	Traver	Concept	Plan	was	to	identify	a	vision	for	the	future	development	of	the	community	through	a	series	of	workshops	with	residents	and	community	representatives.	The	process	helped	the	community	to	understand	their	own	strengths,	weaknesses,	constraints,	and	opportunities,	as	well	as	the	importance	of	getting	organized	around	a	set	of	ideals	and	ideas	to	direct	their	own	actions	in	the	future.	Pointing	out	directions	for	Traver’s	development,	and	identifying	possible	paths,	agencies,	and	actors	to	carry	them	through	were	important	outcomes	of	the	participatory	process.	The	process	also	 empowered	 the	 community	 by	making	 them	aware	of	 their	 own	problems	and	potentials,	by	helping	them	to	identify	a	set	of	legitimate	demands	organized	in	a	plan	of	action.The ProcessFrom	 the	 start,	 the	 Cal	 Poly	 team,	 utilized	 participatory	 methods.	 Always	 with	 the	 assistance	and	support	of	school	principal	Nord	and	planner	Ruiz,	 the	Cal	Poly	 team	conducted	a	series	of	community workshops in the Traver elementary school. A total of five workshops were held, each holding between 20 to 30 participants. During the workshops the team ensured that all participants were	given	a	voice	and	got	involved	in	the	decision	making	process.	Spanish	speaking	members	of	the	community	were	helped	by	the	Cal	Poly	team	and/or	other	community	members.	A	series	of	participatory	and	group	dynamics	methods	were	utilized	during	the	workshops	(Figure	2). Constraints, opportunities, qualities, and problems were identified; a set of goals, strategies, and actions were discussed and prioritized; and the final results were put together in a vision for Traver’s future	development.	In	all	stages	of	the	process,	community	members	voiced	their	concerns,	ideas	and	observations	and	were	directly	involved	in	decision	making.	The	team	acted	not	only	as	planners	but	as	process	designers	and	facilitators.	The objective of the first workshop was to identify the community’s perceptions of Traver and its negative and positive attributes, as well as a vision for its future. Two instruments were specifically designed	by	the	Cal	Poly	team	for	the	focus	group	interviews	and	the	vision	exercise	that	composed	this workshop. There were two major results: (1) a list of positive and negative aspects of Traver according to the community’s perceptions – categorized into common themes – and, (2) a list of six goals for future development. In the second workshop, the community prioritized the goals identified previously	 and	 decided	 on	 the	 strategies	 to	 achieve	 them.	Again,	 the	 Cal	 Poly	 team	 designed	two instruments: the first enabled individual participants to prioritize the goals and to define three strategies	for	each	goal,	and	the	second	facilitated	the	group	to	get	to	an	agreement.	The third workshop was on action planning. Having identified a development vision, goals and strategies	for	Traver,	the	Cal	Poly	team	designed	a	new	exercise	to	allow	participants	to	correspond	the chosen strategies to action steps towards implementation, the person(s) to initiate each action, and the funding sources. With these results, the Cal Poly team identified a list of goals in order of priority, and	strategies	and	action	steps	for	implementing	each	of	the	strategies.	By	this	time	in	the	process,	the	Cal	Poly	team	had	already	obtained	incredibly	rich	information	on	the	community’s	perceptions,	expectations	and	willingness	to	set	forth	a	process	to	direct	future	development	actions	in	Traver.		2	Student assistants: David Grim (BCRP program) during the whole process, and Alex Friedman and Joaquin Salazar (MCRP prgrams) in the first workshop.f o c u s  |  2 0 0 7  |  v o l u m e  I V72The	forth	community	workshop	was	on	concept	planning,	and	it	 focused	 on	 issues	 directly	 related	 to	 physical	 and	 spatial	solutions.	For	this	workshop,	the	Cal	Poly	team	analyzed	data	from the previous workshops and identified all the issues related to	the	built	environment	cited	by	the	participants.	These	issues	were	 organized	 into	 three	 categories:	 “areas”	 (including	 all	ideas related to identifiable areas, such as land uses), “routes” (ideas related to lines, or identifiable routes, such as for public transportation), and “spots” (ideas related to specific locations, such as for a traffic light). Then, the Cal Poly team designed a	 three-step	 space	 planning	 exercise	 using	 a	 board	 game	approach.3	During	 the	workshop,	participants	were	organized	into small groups and encouraged to “spatialize” their specific ideas	and	proposals	on	base	maps	of	Traver.	They	followed	a	legend representing specific items in the categories of “areas” and	“routes”,	and	used	specially	made	stickers	in	the	shape	of	black-and-white	icons,	representing	elements of the “spots” category. Back in the office, the resulting five base maps with the group proposals were analyzed and integrated by the Cal Poly team, which put them together into a final concept plan (Figure 3).The	Traver	Concept	Plan	accommodated	all	concerns	commonly	voiced	by	the	workshop	participants	and	 represents	 the	 community’s	 ideas	 for	 physical	 improvements.	The	 community	 supports	 new	development	as	they	understand	that	it	would	tend	to	generate	economic	and	social	development.	They	proposed	areas	for	new	industrial	and	highway	commercial,	retail	and	residential	uses	(including	affordable housing), parks, slower traffic zones and traffic lights, the diversion of truck traffic from the	community,	a	new	bus	line	serving	the	community	and	the	school,	potential	locations	for	a	police	station,	a	medical	facility,	and	a	community	center.	Participants	also	agreed	on	the	need	to	provide	Traver	with	an	attractive	identity,	and	on	enhancing	the	quality	of	their	main	street.	The	last	workshop	was	a	“celebration	session”	in	which	all	the	products	and	the	concept	plan	were	presented	by	 the	Cal	Poly	 team	 to	 the	community	during	a	meal	promoted	 in	 the	Traver	School.	Representatives	from	the	county’s	Community	Development	and	Redevelopment	agency	and	of	the	State	Assembly	were	present,	which	helped	support	the	plan	making	process	and	the	results,	and	allowed	the	community	to	start	a	political	process	towards	solving	its	concerns	and	implementing	its	own	vision.	The Products	The	participatory	process	allowed	the	Cal	Poly	team	to	assist	the	Traver	community	in	developing	a	vision	for	the	future	and	to	identify	development	goals,	an	action	plan	and	a	physical	concept	plan	based	on	the	understanding	of	their	needs,	expectations,	constraints	and	opportunities	for	development.	While	there	are	pressing	needs	for	investment	in	basic	infrastructure	(namely	storm	water	drainage,	sewage	disposal, street paving, and public lighting), better control of vehicular circulation (namely trucks), and an efficient alternative for public transportation, the community is aware of Traver’s potential due to its good	location	and	accessibility,	and	it	is	ready	to	participate	in	the	building	of	its	own	future.	It	 is	envisioned	 that	 the	Tulare	Concept	Plan	will	 support	 the	updating	of	 the	existing	community	and	 redevelopment	 plans,	 as	 they	 both	 seem	 outdated	 and	 distanced	 from	 the	 local	 reality	 and	Figure 2One of the workshops, when participants were working in small groups helped by students.  3	Based on Sanoff, Henry. 2000. Communi-ty Participation Methods in Design and Planning. New York: J. Wiley.7f o c u s  |  2 0 0 7  |  v o l u m e  I Vcommunity	 expectations.	 The	 concept	 plan	 recommends	 that	 support	 for	 new	 residential	 and	highway	commercial	development	in	Traver	be	added	into	the	on-going	County	General	Plan	update.	The	community	is	well	aware	of	its	potential	for	becoming	a	development	hub	in	the	Central	Valley,	particularly	 in	 serving	 the	present	housing	demand,	and	 that	 this	growth	 should	 coincide	with	 its	vision	of	quality	and	in	keeping	Traver’s	“small	town”	appeal	and	agricultural	image.	Finally,	the	concept	plan	recommended	that	Cal	Poly’s	City	and	Regional	Planning	Department	be	contacted	for	further	technical	assistance,	and	that	a	class	be	asked	to	develop	another	planning	step	for	Traver	in	the	form	of	an	urban	design	plan.	This	would	help	the	community	determine	concrete	physical	solutions	for	 future	development,	and	would	assist	 the	Tulare	County	as	a	platform	for	a	new	redevelopment	plan,	and	a	set	of	guidelines	to	community-supported	new	development.	In	the	fall quarter of 2006, a third-year undergraduate studio developed the Traver Urban Design Plan, a process	described	in	the	next	article	by	Michael	Costa.	Figure Final community concept plan (original in colors). 

Traver Concept Plan: A Participatory Process

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Traver Concept Plan: A Participatory Process

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