Planning for a Climate Resilient Future
WITH DETROIT FUTURE CITY + LAND & WATER WORKS
Facilitation / Visioning / Engagement / Print + Digital Design
Detroit Future City serves as the lead program administrator of Land & Water WORKS (LWW), a 10-member coalition of environmental stewards dedicated to a more equitable, more climate resilient future for Detroit. They work together to increase understanding of our water system and build widespread awareness of the social, environmental, and economic benefits of green stormwater infrastructure. In 2020, LWW partnered with The Work Department to create a 3-year strategic plan and program budget for their next phase of work. It was necessary for the strategic plan to reflect the interest and voices of all coalition members, meet the needs and dynamic of the lead program administrator, and address the environmental impact goals outlined by the coalition’s primary funder. Following the plan, we worked together to create an impact report showcasing the good work the coalition has accomplished since 2017.
We used a couple engagement strategies to ensure all interests and voices were captured. First, we interviewed coalition members to better understand where their programming and visions do and don’t align. The interviews served as a direct and meaningful way to gather input from individual stakeholders.
Next, we led a series of five virtual planning sessions with the full coalition. Together we identified existing long-term goals and new long-term goals. Then we worked backwards to define what outcomes need to be achieved in order to realize those goals. Each planning session included individual reflection, group activities, and consensus building exercises that resulted in an actionable strategic plan.
Our final outcome included a revised mission and vision, description of LWW’s programming and audience, and a set of six goals and four strategies. For each strategy, we documented the purpose, proposed activities, metrics, coalition members’ roles, and fundraising approach. We then worked together to design an impact report highlighting their collective work from 2017-2021.
