 
Participatory Strategic Planning in Ponders End, North London
Method(s) Used
Name of person who posted the project:Edward Andersson
Location of project:England
Date when the project started:2001
Date when the project ended/project ongoing:2001
Background to project:Going for Green and the Ponders End Development Forum used Participatory Strategic Planning as part of the wider Ponders End Sustainable Communities Project.Purpose of project:The aim of this project was to empower and enable the residents and communities of Ponders End to address their local economic, social and environmental concerns and to improve their quality of life.The event was held in October 2001 and was facilitated by ICA: UK (the Institute of Cultural Affairs, UK). It was attended by a total of 22 participants including residents, representatives of local groups and businesses, service providers and Enfield Council officers. The 'focus question' for the strategic planning was: "What do we want to see going on in Ponders End over the next three years?" Project activities:The first session was a vision workshop in which participants were asked to come up with the specific achievements that they would like to see in place in Ponders End in three years' time.This process started with an individual brainstorm and continued with small group discussions. The ideas for achievements were then further discussed and clarified in the whole group, before being organised into columns and given titles to reflect the consensus of the group. In the next workshop, using the same process as before, participants were asked to identify the obstacles or barriers standing between them and their vision. They were encouraged to think about the underlying issues, rather than the symptoms of the problem. Following this, a strategic directions workshop was held to address the question of what practical actions the community could take to overcome the obstacles and lead them towards their vision. The final stage was to revisit these actions and to prioritise them in an implementation plan for the actions the community wanted implemented over the next twelve months. Finally, participants assigned responsibilities for the different tasks that had been identified and interim team leaders were agreed. Project results:For the local Community Development Trust the process has functioned as a valuable reference point for the way forward.The trust has as a result been able to find funding and deliver an ambitious programme of community events and infrastructure according to the agreed plan. Contact details:The Institute of Cultural Affairs UK (ICA:UK)PO Box 171 Manchester, M15 5BE Telephone: 0845 450 0305 Email: top@ica-uk.org.uk Web: http://www.ica-uk.org.uk/ 
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