Community Collaboration

There is a growing awareness of many systemic issues we face as individuals and communities such as climate change, unsustainable economies and unhealthy environments. Many communities and individuals realize that they must address these challenges at a local level, however efforts to address these issues tend to be fragmented and struggle for resources and exposure. Individuals and groups working on the same initiatives within a community may not know each other let alone communicate or collaborate. Collaboration that does occur often takes the form of “preaching to the choir.”

Livability Project recognizes that broad community engagement is necessary to make significant progress.  By increasing the quantity and quality of cross-sector collaboration we incorporate multiple perspectives in the decision-making process. Involving stakeholders early on gives them an interest in the outcomes and increases the likelihood they will participate and contribute to the creation of solutions. 

Many of these activities can take place in a Collaboratory™, a designed workspace created by our strategic partners, Tomorrow Makers(www.tomorrowmakers.org).  A Collaboratory is a place where individuals and groups work concurrently, changing ‘hats’ where appropriate, competing, cooperating and constantly evolving to bring together higher order solutions, people and opportunities to the community.  Activities may include visioning sessions, mapping processes, educational and cultural workshops, multi-stakeholder collaboration, galleries and displays, strategy formation and planning, ongoing project and venture management.