structure

Internal and External Analysis 

Internal 

Human Capital: What internal capabilities does the City of London have to facilitate this planning academy? What would they need based on what they currently have?

Technology: Does the City of London have the ability to live stream certain seminars and “planning academy” activities in the event of COVID-19 protocols?

Space: In the event COVID-19 protocols can be lifted, does the City of London have a space to facilitate workshops or “planning academy” activities for constituents? 

Financial: Financial resources may include funds resulting from fundraising, grant writing or related activities, or community- level economic indicators such as local businesses and entrepreneurship 

Social: Networks of relationships that enable individuals and communities to build other capitals and to advance their interests by accessing resources 

Accessibility: see partners below

External 

The City Planning Academy may involve outside partners – who are they based on each bucket we have identified throughout the project?

Partner 1: Urban League of London

Partner 2: Pillar Nonprofit Network & affiliates 

Partner 3: Microcredential – GLE Program, Western Law Students “municipal law”?

Other potential partners: United Way of Elgin & Midddlesex, Indigenous organizations includingAtlohsa and Namerind, Muslim Resource Centre, Black London Network, Business Improvement Associations’s, London Environmental Network,HighSchools 

Find out core partners versus affiliated partners, who is who, etc. 

Can stakeholders in the community help with the three above points in terms of human capital, technology, and space?

ONLINE PLATFORM: have a weekly newsletter about the importance of civic engagement and provide examples of how civic engagement changed policy for the better:  

  • Indigenous perspectives 
  • Urban planning 
  • Localizing SDG’s 
  • Racial equality 
  • Police reform 

ONLINE PLATFORM: connect two parties that are working together on a local issue and have a ‘townhall’ for these stakeholders to answer questions in a public forum.

Recommendations/Key Observations

 Key Observations

There needs to be a fusion of internal City of London planning employees, balanced off with professionals and other stakeholders who can make up the structure of the planning academy.

Would the professionals want to be paid for their time? Would it be a “pro-bono” volunteer basis? To engage those from the diverse community as presenters it is important to consider compensation to ensure they are being fairly compensated for sharing their skills and knowledge, otherwise we would run the risk of perpetuating inequities that are counter to the values of the Citizen Planning Academy.

Recommendations

Identify and come up with a list of people who could help facilitate the planning academy

IN PERSON: have a presence at City Hall forums for people who cannot be there. This should be our job. Before city forums happen we must get an understanding of how the public feels about that topic and represent them at the forum. Not everyone can attend that forum and we must be that voice.  

We should be structuring the Academy around an educational setting. Where we are closely involved with primary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions in London. Use the education resources that are available in London to our advantage. Work with Thames Valley District School Board and London District School Board to create a relationship that allows the Academy to use facilities that schools use to help offset the need for an expensive infrastructure that would allow the Academy to teach the courses that are offered. Another option would be to partner with London Public Libraries for community spaces.

Our internal structure should be framed around the three expected outcomes of the Academy (SEE CURRICULUM BRIEFING NOTES). This will allow for more logical flow throughout the program. This also divides up work within the Academy in an effective way to make sure that we are not encroaching on other peoples areas of expertise or work.

Risks and Mitigations 

 Risks 

External individuals do not want to participate – need to find others

IN PERSON: make sure that the public knows about our program. We should have members that are in the City of London, at Huron, and in the private sector. Making sure that we attend every, or as many, public events as possible is important. Hand out pamphlets on what we do. Make sure people know why we are here and we are a community ally.