Engaged Planning Communities Diagnostic Tool

A revolutionary tool was developed by Ms. Borich, though her doctoral studies, to help diagnose how well a community is implementing planning. Certification as an "Engaged Planning Community" can aid a community in numerous ways. To name just a few:

• Show growing companies a community means business & is able to "get stuff done"
• Create a set of Civic Vitality community indicators
• Improve communication among a community's key stakeholders including business leaders, planners, elected officials, and other key leaders
• Increase efficacy of organizations and agencies by identifying who, what, and how they need to work with other entities on an initiative
• Empower disengaged groups towards a common vision
• Identify how power structures are helping or hurting planning efforts
• Explore areas of sustainability not being adequately addressed
• Show in grant applications the ability to bring an initiative to fruition

Diagnosing Implementation Efforts

The EPC tool is implementable by a community or with assistance from Certified EPC Tool Administrators. It works by collecting information and insights from key participants in a community's planning efforts and synthesizes it through a 54-Point analysis. Final diagnosis and certification is obtained from this score.

Much like the rating system developed by the US Green Building Council for their LEED Certification system for building and neighborhood infrastructure, this 54-Point diagnosis rates a community's ability to implement planning initiatives while they are going on, not the results of the initiatives before or after. The diagnosis explores patterns in:

• Who works with whom in the core stakeholder group
• What types of initiatives they work on
• When (how often) they are involved
• How they participate in community initiatives
• Why they are involved

Find Out More Today!

Visit www.engagedplanningcommunities.com for more information.