PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, EDUCATION & ASSESSMENT

We are passionate about empowering communities through outreach, education and public engagement. We bring this lens into all our work as a framework for fostering strategic community planning, design literacy and sustainability. We support projects with creative approaches for events such as organizing public meetings, design charrettes, community open houses, green building tours and neighborhood walks. We have also designed art installations, facilitated citizen advisory groups, developed surveys, and evaluation rubrics to assess priorities and needs, and helped foster public-private collaborations.

COMMUNICATION + ENGAGEMENT SERVICES

  • EDUCATION + OUTREACH: Newsletters, brochures, outreach plans, graphic design, curriculum development, program design, culturally sensitive engagement
  • EVENTS: Workshops, design charrettes, open houses, walking tours
  • PUBLIC ART: Art Installations, collaborations with community partners
  • ASSESSMENT: Survey design, SWOT analysis, case studies, technical reports
  • FUNDING SUPPORT: Assistance with finding partnerships and project funding for outreach
Advancing Adaptive, Affordable, Green Development – half day workshop for community leaders sponsored organized by Heather Flint Chatto and the Division Design Initiative.

PAST PROJECTS

COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEES + DESIGN GUIDELINES

  • Goleta Old Town Redevelopment Project Advisory Committee (PAC), Manager
  • Goleta Old town Design Advisory Committee Manager, Goleta Old Town Redevelopment Program
  • Goleta Old Town Design Guidelines, Project Manager with Santa Barbara County
  • Division-Hawthorne Main Street Design Guidelines + The Division Design Initiative – Heather Flint Chatto cofounded this inter-neighborhood coalition to improve meaningful community input around new development and growth. This fostered collaborations with PSU, SE Uplift, four neighborhood associations, business associations, city staff, and Architecture for Humanity. Through these collaborations, she has helped lead citizen advocacy and public engagement efforts including: inter-neighborhood design committees, community preference surveys, design walking tours, “Your Voice Matters” interactive public art installations, and policy advocacy on key issues such as upcoming city-wide building design standards (DOZA policy), Mixed Use Zoning, and Neighborhood Notification. Most recently, the group has created the newly adopted Division-Hawthorne Main St. Design Guidelines, a model that any neighborhood can use to clarify their own design vision and preferences.

SURVEYS, ANALYSIS & ASSESSMENTS

  • City of Hoquiam Revitalization Plan Stakeholder Survey – Survey design and programming, outreach, and data analysis to inform strategic planning
  • Zero Energy Buildings Recognition & Awards Program – Design of data submittal forms and technical reporting of energy and buildings performance criteria, community engagement and social impact matrix. Designed follow-up evaluation matrix for scoring and ranking submissions by jury.
  • SWOT Analysis for Multnomah County Drainage District (MCDD) – to assess barriers and opportunities for public engagement and craft programs and strategic planning approaches that would advance equity, education and stakeholder investment.
  • AASHE Sustainability Staffing Assessment – Conducted detailed quantitative and qualitative data analysis, created summary charts and graphics for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
  • Lake Forest Park Green Infrastructure Master Plan Stakeholder Survey – analyzed survey response data, creating a framework of priority themes for improvements, concerns, priorities, goals and values.
  • Division Design & Development Perception Survey – Oversight of PSU students and Design + Culture Lab to analyze data
  • Global Cities Project – evaluation of local government sustainability policies and programs for the Environmental Policy Center

PROGRAM DESIGN

  • Levee Ready Columbia 2020-2024 Communications & Engagement Plan – 
  • Johnson Creek Stormwater Management Assistance Program
  • Zero Energy School Retrofit Program Curriculum + Statewide Trainings – With New Buildings Institute, managed development of curriculum for state agencies and other early adopters of zero energy buildings in California. Developed presentations, workbooks, case studies, organized events and speakers, provided facilitation and follow up takeaways and communication with participants.
  • California Zero Energy Recognition + Awards Program – Project management of the First Zero Net Energy Recognition Program in the country. Project included technical research, writing, public outreach, stakeholder facilitation, award and material design, promotion and event launch.
  • Zero Energy Fellowship Program – Research and program proposal for the first ZNE Fellowship program in the country.
  • Santa Barbara County Public Information Program

TRAINING & OUTREACH

  • California Zero Energy Buildings Leadership Network – As project manager for New Buildings Institute, Heather Flint Chatto developed and facilitated more than 20 Zero Net Energy Building Curriculum + Trainings for the California Public Utilities Commission & Investor Owned Utilities
  • ZNE Action Bulletin Newsletter – Project Manager, writer, researcher, and designer for five years of the national publication on issues such as new technology, leading buildings, training, events, and public policy.
  • Advancing Adaptive Affordable Green Housing Workshop – Concerned about the lack of affordable housing being built, this half-day workshop brought together community leaders to discuss barriers and opportunities to advance more environmentally responsible approaches to housing and explore opportunities to foster greater affordability and adaptive climate-responsive design. Facilitated by Heather Flint Chatto and Ralph DiNola from New Buildings Institute with presentations on zero energy multifamily case studies, and discussion groups with key stakeholders including affordable housing providers, developers, property owners, architects, planners, real estate professionals, neighborhood associations, business associations, city staff from the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability and Office of Housing.
  • Santa Barbara County Planning Open Houses – Developed and managed by Heather Flint Chatto while a planner at Santa Barbara County, these events were held in multiple locations featuring speakers, food, extensive project exhibits and an opportunity for the public to engage with planning staff around project and program questions and concerns. These were so successful, they became annual events in North and South County hosted by the County of Santa Barbara.
  • Tiara Stormwater Management Demonstration Home – Initiated a watershed council partnership with Habitats Inc. Wrote and secured $40,000 from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board to demonstrate stormwater management features including a vegetated green roof, cistern, bioswales, and drywell; designed outreach materials, and organized public green building tours with the Long Tom Watershed Council.
  • City of Lake Forest Park 100 Year Legacy Plan – As Project Manager for the Green Futures Research + Design Lab, Heather Flint Chatto was part of the design team to coordinate and lead three major public engagement events for the development of the Legacy Plan. Work included hosting a Green Infrastructure Community Open House and Festival, Community Charette, Priorities Forum, and analysis of community surveys.

ART

  • Your Voice Matters Interactive Art + Engagement Project – 10 Art Unique Installations in partnership with Architecture for Humanity with Division Vision survey cards yielding 450 community responses.
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