216 pages
6 x 9
57 figures
The room is dim, the chairs are in perfectly lined rows. The city planner puts up a color-coded diagram of the street improvement project, dreading the inevitable angry responses.
Jana loves her community and is glad to be able to attend the evening meeting, and she has a lot of ideas for community change. But she has a hard time hearing, and can’t see the diagrams clearly. She leaves early.
It’s time to imagine a different type of community engagement – one that inspires connection, creativity, and fun.
People love their communities and want them to become safer, healthier, more prosperous places. But the standard approach to public meetings somehow makes everyone miserable. Conversations that should be inspiring can become shouting matches. So what would it look like to facilitate truly meaningful discussions between citizens and planners? What if they could be fun?
For twenty years, James Rojas and John Kamp have been looking to art, creative expression, and storytelling to shake up the classic community meeting. In Dream Play Build, they share their insights into building common ground and inviting active participation among diverse groups. Their approach, “Place It!,” draws on three methods: the interactive model-building workshop, the pop-up, and site exploration using our senses. Using our hands to build and create is central to what makes us human, helping spark ideas without relying on words to communicate. Deceptively playful, this method is remarkably effective at teasing out community dreams and desires from hands-on activities. Dream Play Build offers wisdom distilled from workshops held around the world, and a deep dive into the transformational approach and results from the South Colton community in southern California. While much of the process was developed through in-person meetings, the book also translates the experience to online engagement--how to make people remember their connections beyond the computer screen.
Inspirational and fun, Dream Play Build celebrates the value of engaging with the dreams we have for our communities. Readers will find themselves weaving these artful, playful lessons and methods into their own efforts for making change within the landscape around them.
"Nonetheless, successfully communicating their message in a simple language that expert and amateur planning practitioners and novices can easily comprehend is of great significance. Furthermore, pictographic illustrations—a unique and commendable feature of the text—aid understanding in a way that is both precise and concise. The book will undoubtedly contribute to the existing body of knowledge on urban planning and related disciplines."
Journal of the American Planning Association
"Dream Play Build is a must-read for land-use planners and government decision makers who engage in place making and community development. It incorporates captivating community stories, useful photos, and illustrations to provide a guide to the Place It! method—a groundbreaking, tactile, and playful tool. Together, Rojas and Kamp make a compelling case for the need to democratize knowledge of, and participation in, city planning for 'everyday people.'"
Samuel Assefa, Director of the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
"Part personal journeys, part planning toolkits, Dream Play Build offers an antidote to the common frustrations of public participation. Focusing on senses, memories, and play, James Rojas and John Kamp present methods that can free practitioners and participants from fear, biases, and preoccupations, leading to more imaginative explorations in solving today’s planning and design challenges."
Jeff Hou, Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Washington, Seattle
"There is community engagement, with surveys and PowerPoint presentations. Then there is the James Rojas and John Kamp approach, which involves a kit of colors and materials, and a joyful process of hands-on, intuitive learning-by-doing. Dream Play Build is a must-read for anyone wanting to meaningfully draw people into the creation of their own environments—through dreaming it and making it, themselves."
Frances Anderton, design and architecture journalist; former host, KCRW’s podcast "DnA: Design and Architecture"
Preface
- James’s Story: The Personal Roots of Place It!
- John’s Story: A Planner’s Search for New Tools
Chapter 1: Forget What You Know about Engagement
Chapter 2: Learning to Plan through Play
Chapter 3: The Heart of Engagement: Introducing South Colton
Chapter 4: Hands On!
Chapter 5: Pop Up!
Chapter 6: Use Your Senses!
Chapter 7: Outcomes: They’re Not Just Buildings Anymore
Conclusion: Play More, Talk Less
Acknowledgments
Notes
About the Authors
More than 6,000 pedestrians are killed every year on US streets, representing an enormous 50% increase from the first part of the decade. For the Latinx population in particular, walking, biking, and using public transportation are the most affordable mobility options, thus putting the population at a higher risk of pedestrian death. Additionally, there's a lack of Latinx participation in the transportation planning process. The US-Latinx population's unique cultural perspective is needed in community development. Angie Schmitt, author of the new book Right of Way: Race, Class and the Silent Crisis of Pedestrian Deaths in America, will talk about the social trends that are putting people at risk. James Rojas, founder of the Latino Urban Forum, will discuss why it's important to incorporate the Latinx experience into mobility design throughout the built environment.
Presenters:
For 20 years, James Rojas and John Kamp have been looking to art, creative expression, and storytelling to shake up the classic community meeting.
In their new book, Dream Play Build, they share their insights into building common ground and inviting active participation among diverse groups. Their approach, “Place It!,” draws upon three methods: the interactive model-building workshop, the pop-up, and site exploration using our senses. In this discussion, they will offer wisdom distilled from workshops held around the world and a deep dive into the transformational approach and results from a community in southern California.
Moderated by Deirdre Pfeiffer, associate professor in the ASU School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, this event is in partnership with Island Press, a nonprofit that shines a spotlight on crucial issues and focuses attention on sustainable solutions.
You can purchase Dream, Play, Build at the link to the independently owned Changing Hands Bookstore.
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. (MST)
For two decades, James Rojas and John Kamp have been looking to art, creative expression, and storytelling to shake up the classic community meeting. Join the Maryland Department of Planning and the Smart Growth Network at 1:00 p.m. Friday, February 25, as they share their insights into building common ground and inviting active participation among diverse groups, all featured in their new book, Dream Play Build: Hands-On Community Engagement for Enduring Spaces and Places. Their approach, “Place It!,” draws upon three methods: the interactive model-building workshop, the pop-up, and site exploration using the senses. They will offer their lessons learned distilled from workshops held around the world and a deep dive into the transformational approach and results from a community in southern California. Participants of the live webinar are eligible for 1.5 AICP CM credits.
People love their communities and want them to become safer, healthier, more prosperous places. But the standard approach to public meetings somehow makes everyone miserable. Conversations that should be inspiring can become shouting matches. So what would it look like to facilitate truly meaningful discussions between citizens and planners? What if they could be fun?
James Rojas and John Kamp have been changing the norm on community meetings for 20 years and America Walks is honored to have them share their expertise on our upcoming webinar! Their new book Dream Play Build: Hands-On Community Engagement for Enduring Spaces and Places explains their unique approach called “Place It!,” which draws on three methods: the interactive model-building workshop, the pop-up, and site exploration using our senses. Dream Play Build offers wisdom distilled from workshops held around the world, and a deep dive into the transformational approach and results from the South Colton community in southern California. While much of the process was developed through in-person meetings, the book also translates the experience to online engagement--how to make people remember their connections beyond the computer screen.
As an added bonus, Island Press is offering 30% off your book purchase using the code WEBINAR during checkout. This offer is only valid at https://islandpress.org/books/dream-play-build. They are also generously providing FREE books for 2 lucky webinar registrants. We will announce the winners at the end of the webinar and reach out via the email provided for mailing info.
Location: SPUR Urban Center
654 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 23111
People love their communities and want them to become safer, healthier and more prosperous places. But the standard approach to public meetings somehow makes everyone miserable, and conversations that should be inspiring regularly become shouting matches. What would it look like to facilitate truly meaningful and productive discussions between citizens and planners? And what if they could even be fun? The new book, Dream Play Build, shares ways to shake up the classic community meeting by building common ground and inviting active participation among diverse groups. Join authors James Rojas and John Kamp, two designers who have spent their careers successfully weaving storytelling and hands-on interaction into traditional design processes, for a hands-on exploration of some of the artful, playful lessons and methods that encourage individuals to make change within the landscape around them.
John Kamp is an urban and landscape designer, facilitator, and licensed landscape contractor. Through his design practice, Prairieform, he has over 10 years of experience in the design and installation of irrigation-free landscapes, the writing and illustrating of design guidelines—including the Small Lot Design Guidelines for the City of Los Angeles—work in urban tree canopy restoration, and improving neighborhood walkability. He is an experienced facilitator who leads workshops through Place It!, has conducted trainings on water conservation and irrigation-free landscaping, and worked extensively with immigrant youth in the San Francisco Bay Area. This session will be based on his recent publication with James Rojas: Dream, Build, Play: Hands-On Community Engagement for Enduring Spaces and Places.
For twenty years, John Kamp and James Rojas have been looking to art, creative expression, and storytelling to shake up the classic community meeting. In Dream Play Build, they share their insights into building common ground and inviting active participation among diverse groups. Their approach, “Place It!,” draws on three methods: the interactive model-building workshop, the pop-up, and site exploration using our senses. Using our hands to build and create is central to what makes us human, helping spark ideas without relying on words to communicate. Deceptively playful, this method is remarkably effective at teasing out community dreams and desires from hands-on activities. Dream Play Build offers wisdom distilled from workshops held around the world, and a deep dive into the transformational approach.
National conversations about equity have expanded into the pedestrian realm and have prompted increasing numbers of communities to examine how to improve pedestrian infrastructure in underserved neighborhoods. Nondrivers represent nearly one quarter of the population and yet often are not included in planning and policymaking discussions.
This session will look at how nondrivers are organizing to improve pedestrian infrastructure to better serve people of all ages, as well as those who cannot drive, do not have access to a car, or who cannot afford to own or maintain a vehicle.
The 10 Minute Walk program is an innovative approach to help ensure that all community members have easy and safe access to parks and green spaces. A coalition of mayors and stakeholders is working to achieve universal park access and create an equitable, safe, resilient, and healthy environment for communities to thrive. Tune in to learn more about this great initiative.
Finally, for two decades, Dream Play Build authors James Rojas and John Kamp have been looking to art, creative expression, and storytelling to shake up the classic community meeting. They will share their insights, experiences and provide pointers for building common ground and inviting active participation among diverse groups.
Panelists:
• Anna Ziwarts, Director, Disability Mobility Initiative Program
• Christina Jang, Technical Assistance Program Manager, Trust for Public Land
• James Rojas and John Kamp, Place It!
Participants of the live webinar are eligible for 1.5 AICP CM credits (live attendance required).
James Rojas from PLACE IT! will be in Washington DC doing a book talk and hands-on workshop on how to engage immigrants in urban planning and civic discourse on Thu. June 29, 2023 from 6-8 pm.
Come for the evening session to learn the power of hands-on, non-verbal community engagement. James Rojas developed this approach when he worked at LA Metro planning for the eastside Gold line. Many Latinos would not speak up so he decided to bring objects and let them build. By tapping into creativity, Rojas found that communities expressed so much information. James authored Dream, Play Build.
That was 15 years ago. Over 1,500 workshops across the US later, it has become a national model for community engagement.
Light refreshments will be provided at Torti Gallas. If you are planning to attend in person, please register here!
Dream Play Build concepts in action:
Read the annotated table of contents here.
Get the additons to chapter 7 and the conclusion here.
Kamp and Rojas have created a video, guide, and online training for the some of the Place It! methods. These were specifically designed for educators and those working with students on walking and rolling to school.
Place It! for Safe Routes to School: An Interactive Community Engagement Workshop
In an article written in collaboration with the Urban Resilience Project, James Rojas and John Kamp (authors of Dream Play Build) write that the simple acts of building and playing offer an antidote for today's polarized debates.
They write:
If your sense lately has been we are living in a society that has grown increasingly cranky, tired, and creatively bereft, it’s because, in our text- and language-obsessed era, we are. We have created a nation of citizens whose survival brains are on overdrive and whose creative brains have effectively been relegated to the corner.
Change starts with flipping the script and giving our stubborn talking brain a timeout. We set aside the faulty notion that more and cleverer and stronger language will ensure that those we disagree with will finally see the light, and we literally bring our hands up onto the table. We attune our senses to the wide world around us. And we build—with others, with strangers, with people whose political views we never even talk about.
Read the full article published in Planetizen HERE.