When preparing a General Plan for a developed city, one of the most overlooked citizen participation tools is creating an involvement program for children. Children are the future of any community and the earlier we create an environment for learning about the city, its people, its history, and its governance, the sooner we will be grooming our future leaders…and planners. Children of all education levels can participate in a creative and energizing planning program. You can utilize existing "how to" programs such as Box City, or you can design your own program to match the needs and resources of your community. I will not try to duplicate those techniques in this presentation. Whatever you do, there are some steps you need to remember to follow and certain lesson learned that I would like to share with you.

Why Involve Children

• They can help connect you to the adults who can participate in the planning process in your community
• They can be a measurement stick on how you are addressing community issues for those who do not have a voice:
  • Improving Housing and Neighborhoods
    • Walking tour
  • Improving Public Facilities
    • Kids focus on what they can see
  • Transportation – Streets, Parking, Trolley, and Bus
    • Kids need to get around
• They are certainly the future leaders and investment makers in a community
• They can give you insight into a part of the community not addressed in our plans
  • Abuse, drugs, homelessness, gangs, safe houses

The Lemon Grove Case Experience

In the spring of 1995, the city of Lemon Grove kicked-off a community-based planning program to update its General Plan. A city with unique historic roots and small town atmosphere, Lemon Grove continues to emanate community pride and spirit in this modern era. As the 21st Century neared, Lemon Grove faces new opportunities and challenges, including an evolving economic base, demographic diversification, a relatively new trolley line, and a planned freeway.

The City Council, when launching the General Plan update, prioritized community participation in the planning process. Developing a General Plan representing all community members' concerns and desires for the future required a comprehensive participation program. This consisted of town hall meetings, a city-wide survey, a General Plan Advisory Committee, and periodic newsletters announcing opportunities for input.

Because families comprise an integral component of the community and children's needs are often overlooked in the adult world of urban planning, the city initiated the Lemon Grove Kids City Planning Program. The Kids City Planning Program fulfilled three purposes:

• Obtain input on children's vision of the future of Lemon Grove, and identify the community issues that are most important to local children. This input from children was considered essential to creating a General Plan that responded to all segments of the community.
• Educate children about city planning.
• Promote interest in planning as a career and in community involvement.

Mr. Alan Cook's fifth grade class at Golden Avenue Elementary School enthusiastically participated in the Kids City Planning Program. Three sessions conducted in consecutive weeks resulted in a three-dimensional model of the Ideal City and specific directives on how to make Lemon Grove a better place for all. The program culminated with the Kids Element which details the geographic composition of the Ideal City in addition to summarizing the directives for the future.

The children offered many relevant and creative ideas for Lemon Grove, such as a downtown focused around the trolley station with a mall, day care center, apartments and condominiums, and lots of things to do like movie theaters, book stores and restaurants. Other ideas included constructing houses above stores so that people can easily shop and a theater house for films, opera and rock bands.

The students also wanted a place only for kids that is run by kids -"Parents and adults run everything!" Suggestions for a shelter for homeless people, a public museum, more day care facilities, local bus service for children and seniors, quiet and peaceful neighborhoods, and a crime-free community reflect the children's concern for all Lemon Grove residents.

The children presented the Kids Element and the Ideal City to the General Plan Advisory Committee, and the City Council. Both the committee and City Council promised to consider the students' ideas during the General Plan update. For their hard work and concern for the community, the City Council awarded each student with a certificate. Of great importance, the draft Lemon Grove General Plan incorporates many of the children's suggestions and addresses their concerns about the future.

The Lemon Grove Kids City Planning Program implements planning theory that advocates the inclusion of groups typically under-represented in the planning process. Children represent a significant proportion of the population in most communities, but the unique needs of children and teenagers are rarely considered in long-range plans. Urban environments can either hinder or promote children's ability to explore, play, learn, feel safe, enjoy good health, and relate with the larger community, all of which are vital to intellectual, creative and ethical development. Learning about children's realm of activities and their concerns about neighborhood dynamics, and addressing these issues in our long-range plans, will facilitate communities promoting human development. When our cities support children, society at large benefits by reduced crime, better educated work force, social stability, and reduced substance abuse and health problems.

The Kids City Planning Program provides a prototype that can be easily implemented in other communities during general plan and community planning programs. The program sets forth a "hands on approach" for the children to express their views, concerns and desires for their community, and at the same time, it provides the opportunity for the children to gain insight to the benefits and functions of the planning process. For smaller cities with limited resources, the three-session format permits investigation of local children's ideas and concerns without an excessive staff commitment.

What You Need

• City Concurrence: Take it up the ladder to make sure the local government supports the children planning program.
• School District Permission: The Principal and/or School District Board should understand and agree to the children’s planning curriculum.
• List of Materials: The Box City program or any planning program designed to teach children about planning will require materials:
  • Milk cartons
  • Magic markers, tape, scissors, etc.
• Short Term Schedule: Term of the project should not last more than three months since you need to start and end the program during one semester and you need to keep the child’s interests.
• Specific Purpose: Focused purpose for the program. Generally, you can always set up a program to teach children about planning. However, if you want to relate it to a general planning program, your curriculum needs to focus on the general plan.

Steps to follow:

• Identify the program’s purpose. How does it fit with the overall planning program?
• Check with the school district to get permission to conduct program, education objectives of that particular school and the demographics of the school population.
• Obtain advice on the most appropriate class level based on their experience with students on the campus.
• Meet with teacher to understand student makeup and education level so that your presentations can be designed to meet the student’s communication level
• Prepare overall program details or Lesson Plan and review with teacher
• Order materials and create a list of those materials the students need to bring to class
• Have an Orientation Program with the teacher and students prior to the first formal session. This gives everyone a chance to meet and it gives you a chance to interact with the students prior to the first session.
• During the Orientation program, ask planning related questions so you can judge the knowledge of the students.
• Identify needs such as volunteers or assistants, guest speakers. If you have ever taught a first or second grade class, you know not to enter the room unprepared.
• Prepare home exercises so that students work with parents. Make it fun and make sure that the exercises require parent involvement.
• Reserve two working sessions with students so they can build their city. One is not enough. Be prepared for a lot of ideas and personal involvement on their part.
• Hold a Building City Fair or Open House, invite parents and city officials.
• Plan a presentation to City Council or other formal body; invite parents. This could be entitled, "The Kids City Plan"
• Prepare Plan text with maps and photos…especially of the student planners themselves.

What I learned:

• Children are very receptive to learning about planning. Discuss techniques with the teacher to have an idea what works best.
• Need to be very organized for each class. You could get mobbed by 25 eight or nine year olds.
• Need to know where you want to end up or else the kids will let you know where they want you to end up. That may not be all that bad…but you need to have a plan.
• You should have help in classes since children are very excited and if you are the only one there, many will feel neglected or left out.
• Educational material should include "how to" exercises or games. This makes it fun and keeps their interest.
• Children are not bashful about their works and opinions. Encourage participation and excitement by letting children share their thoughts and ideas.
• The city children plan represents their view of the world. Sometimes that can be disturbing. Their social environment may not be yours. Be prepared for reality checks.

What I would do now:

• Need to simplify materials; use standard boxes so that it is easier to sort and build on.
• Have a reward for children such as an APA pin as "official planners". Parents should be notified early and should be part of the orientation meeting. In fact, if you can get them to help in the classroom that is fun for the children and educational for the parents. They may want to participate in the citywide plan as well.
• An accepted curriculum should be prepared so that teachers can conduct programs regularly. This is not as easy as it sounds but get started early so you can standardize the program and expand it by getting other teachers to conduct the class.
• Have a group of planners help you, especially young professionals or students.
• Use visuals and exercises. Children react to visuals as much as adults so use them.
• Have children play an active part in displaying their work and telling everyone about it
• Be open and willing to build the city the children want to build whether you like it or not. We are the education agents, not the directors.

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Author and Copyright Information

Copyright 2002 by author

Mr. Lettieri is a professional planner with 33 years of urban and regional planning experience in both the public and private sectors. He is the Vice Chairperson of the city of San Diego Planning Commission. He is the Past President of the California Chapter of the American Planning Association. His experience, including four years with the City of Chula Vista, six years with the County of San Diego and 20 years in the private sector, has provided Mr. Lettieri the opportunity to work in all aspects of land use planning from residential, commercial, and industrial projects to general plans and regional growth management. Mr. Lettieri is also an instructor at the University of California Extension, San Diego and San Diego State University.