Public Participation for the New Urbanism: An Interview with Rick Cole
Former Executive Director of the Congress for New Urbanism talks about public participation.
This past May, student fellows at Southern Urbanism attended the thirty-second national gathering of the Congress of New Urbanism (CNU) in downtown Cincinnati. While there, the fellows caught up with urbanists from all over the United States and beyond to chat about their work. Each interviewee was asked three questions about what they do and the goals that their work advances. The conversations have been edited for length and clarity.
Rick Cole is the Chief Deputy Controller for the City of LA and the former Executive Director of the Congress for New Urbanism. In this interview, he gives insight into involving community members in policymaking, laying out the challenges facing the public participation process and offering pathways to reform.
MS: Would you mind just introducing yourself and telling everyone about your experience?
RC: Sure, Rick Cole, former executive director of the Congress for New Urbanism, also deeply involved throughout my career in local government. I was the mayor of my hometown of Pasadena. I currently serve as the Chief Deputy Controller for the City of Los Angeles, and I was recently elected again to the Pasadena City Council, taking office in December.
MS: Through those roles, in what role do you see local citizens getting involved with planning and in the planning process?
RC: Typically we define democracy as voting, and I think that's both a shallow and a self-limiting foundation for genuine civic engagement in communities. And the default is the public hearing, where people who are angry about something show up to protest. The former mayor of Missoula, Montana said that public hearings were that place in American society where no one listens. So the challenge of building democracy from the grassroots up is to engage people, not when they're angry, but to appeal to their values, to their principles, and to look for common ground, particularly at the planning stage, but not just at planning. I think what tactical new urbanism and Strong Towns have taught us is that people can take an active role in and help spark immediate changes for the better in their community.
MS: Along those lines, what reform do you think can be made to the community participation process to maybe get more voices involved? I know we talk a lot about NIMBYism and to kind of counteract that.
RC: Again, I think it's important to start with principles and values because most people agree that communities should be inclusive. Most people agree that streets should be safe. Most people agree that folks should have opportunities to start a business or to pursue their dreams.
And it's when you start with those things that people agree on, that it's easier to build and find common ground on the things that become much more divisive down the line. Like, do I want a bike lane on the street I commute on? Do I want mixed-income housing in my neighborhood? So, I think it's important to pull back and look not at what is in the direct interest of people as individuals, but rather what is in their common interest as citizens. And I think starting with that may sound abstract, but In fact, if you get diverse groups of people around tables in informal settings where you're not faced with an immediate decision to approve or not approve a project, people are much more rational, much more open-minded, and much more likely to adapt their opinions.
I used to make a distinction between input and participation. Input is when we provide our opinion of what the government ought to do, and as Americans, we have a sacred right of free speech to express what we think ought to be done. Participation is when you have to solve a problem with people who don't agree with you and find out what makes sense. It isn't necessarily the lowest common denominator compromise. It often can be a win-win. And so the biggest reform is to emphasize participation. Rather than you come and tell us in three minutes that you love or hate something, come sit down and spend two hours with people of differing backgrounds and opinions and see if we can figure this thing out.
MS: Through your experience, have you seen any good examples that really put those principles into practice?
RC: Yeah, there are lots of examples all across the country. One of the most imaginative practitioners in this area is a guy named James Rojas who actually uses physical blocks and toys to help people who are not as verbal or for whom English is a second language to express their ideas and to bring out the playful imagination of people and make these planning efforts a little less toxic.
MS: One final question. For young people, whether that be students, young citizens, or young professionals working in architecture or planning, what advice would you give to them as they're the future of taking this movement forward?
RC: Don't be bashful. The leaders of the New Urbanist movement started when they were very young, and while now they are distinguished iconic experts with amazing accomplishments behind them, they didn't start that way. And so while we can all learn from the past, as I did as I was growing up, people should be confident that the world you are growing up in is one that you know well, and don't be afraid to step forward. Don't wait to be asked.
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