Guest Post: Taylor Schenker

Urban Designer and Data Viz Whiz

Friends, I haven’t posted in a few weeks, and the drought is unfortunately going to continue for a few weeks longer while I focus on client projects.

However! Right before I got slammed with work-work, I met Taylor Schenker who was giving a webinar called “How to Visually Communicate Your Ideas More Effectively” for our mutual (fabulous) career coach Carole Ann Penney. We brainstormed over virtual coffee and decided to each do a guest post. Here’s

Enjoy!

~ Betsy

Engaging Communities:

Lessons from the 2020 City of Charleston Parks and Recreation Master Plan

I’m Taylor Schenker, Founder and Lead Designer of Schenker Creative Co. Trained in Economics and Resilient Urban Design, I learned early on in my career that designers struggled to articulate the value of their work in numbers, and the “numbers people” struggled to reach the 65% of people who are visual learners.  

I believe that by creating strong visual narratives, we can all better communicate with each other. I love using my skills to help you reach more people, get them on board with your work, and make it crystal clear why it matters. 

When data is more accessible, there is more education, more advocacy, change and greater impact. 

In the realm of urban design and community development, engagement is key. The 2020 City of Charleston Parks and Recreation Master Plan is a testament to this principle, showcasing the power of authentic community involvement in shaping urban spaces. Led by Brandstetter Carroll and Surculus, focusing on community engagement, this project embarked on a public engagement journey to overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and traditional outreach methods.

Initial plans underwent significant changes due to the onset of the pandemic. Large public meetings, the conventional mode of engagement still relatively exclusive, especially for individuals with non-traditional schedules or limited access to transportation and childcare, became even more impractical. Faced with this reality, we needed to pivot.

The solution? Meet the community where they are. Armed with survey questions and clad in bright green t-shirts, Erin Stevens, Principal of Surculus, and I ventured into Charleston’s parks and recreation spaces. We strategically timed our visits, targeting peak hours across 21 locations across the peninsula and islands of Charleston - and got to work.

However, this approach came with its own set of challenges. Active park users were initially hesitant to pause their activities for surveying. Yet, we found a workaround —engaging participants while accompanying them during their park routines, whether strolling with strollers or walking dogs. We walked and talked to hundreds of park users.

The endeavor encountered unique hurdles, particularly in the Cainhoy region, where the public parks had not yet been built in a newly developing area. We sought alternative venues, even attempting surveys at local grocery stores—though they were met with resistance due to store policies.

Navigating through Charleston's hot and humid months amidst hurricane season added another layer of complexity. Weather disruptions forced rescheduling, underscoring the importance of flexibility in community engagement initiatives.

Despite these obstacles, this public engagement strategy yielded valuable insights. We garnered authentic feedback on existing spaces and programs by directly engaging with diverse park users. Unveiling a common theme, many residents were unaware of the city's offerings, highlighting the need for improved communication channels.

Amidst the feedback, contradictions surfaced, underscoring the complexity of community preferences. However, certain patterns emerged—parks served as vital community hubs, fostering social connections and recreational activities.

Central to this narrative were the unsung heroes—community champions like Mr. Jones, whose decades-long dedication to the East Side community exemplified the transformative power of grassroots advocacy. From managing after-school programs to spearheading community initiatives, these champions played a pivotal role in shaping the park experience for residents.

Similarly, individuals like Katina Stroud epitomized the spirit of proactive community engagement. Recognizing barriers to access, Katina mobilized resources to ensure equitable participation, from providing swimwear to offering free swim lessons and transforming public pools into inclusive spaces for all.

I’ve told the story of this project to the Charleston community, the city, and at conferences through illustrations, as shown above. The data that we collected was mostly qualitative, we had conversations which we turned into data points. We used a series of survey questions (below) designed to be accessible to everyone at the parks. By taking detailed notes about each conversation on a Google survey form on iPads and phones, we were able to turn qualitative data into quantitative data.

Data was shared in a report chapter, which included significant infographics. Sharing data visually allowed more people to connect to it. For this particular project, we were able to share feedback from the community with decision-makers that used it to improve the overall park system. This information was used to create a to-do list for the City Parks and Recreation Department.

The 2020 City of Charleston Parks and Recreation Master Plan is a testament to the transformative potential of community engagement in urban design. Through perseverance, adaptability, and grassroots advocacy, it underscores the importance of listening to diverse voices in shaping inclusive and vibrant urban spaces and sharing data from their input in visually engaging ways. As cities embark on similar endeavors, the lessons gleaned from Charleston serve as a guiding light, illuminating the path toward a more connected and resilient future.

Check out Taylor’s blog for more data visualization stories.

And if you haven’t already, click on the subscribe button to get my next piece right in your inbox when I start posting again. (So many ideas, so little time!)

~ Betsy Loring¹

The Planning-Curious Museum Person

Sharing stories and ideas for other Planning-Curious Museum People and for Museum-Curious Planning People.

1. I am the founder of expLoring exhibits & engagement. I’ve got over 20 years’ experience in project management and exhibit development in multidisciplinary, indoor and outdoor museum settings. My services include exhibit master planning, content and interactive development, and writing, with a focus on hands-on STEM. I also offer staff training in exhibition planning, formative evaluation, and prototyping. My special interests include multi-institutional collaborations, peer-to-peer professional development, and of course – collaboration with municipal planning practitioners.