BUCPUA Fall 2019 Keynote Lecture — An Insightful Discussion with Former U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano on Community Engagement

On Wednesday evening, October 16, BUCPUA hosted the Fall 2019 Keynote Lecture with former US Representative Michael Capuano, who spoke on the importance of engaging with communities as planners. 

Capuano was the mayor of Somerville for 10 years and spent 20 years in Congress where he had a fiery passion for advocating for urban issues. Brian Creamer, an adjunct faculty member and BUCPUA alum, gave a warm welcome to Capuano, who began the keynote by stating: “This is not a lecture, lectures are boring, sorry professors, I hope [this keynote] is an interaction.” 

Capuano opened with the importance of interacting with the people planners are planning for. He posed a question to the audience, “what are you trying to accomplish as planners?” For him, planning is about constructing a better life for multiple different people in many different communities, with many different desires. He then asked the audience, “who are you working for?” As planners, there is a conflict, is the answer an employer or the community?

Capuano grew up in Somerville, a densely populated city with no high-rise buildings, just two and three family homes. Growing up, Capuano felt the effects of outside planners who thought they knew what the community wanted without consulting the community. His discussion on the importance of engaging with communities picked up here. 

Planners, according to Capuano, have to take everything into consideration before taking action, which includes engaging the community members, asking their opinions, and listening to them. Opinions matter, “go talk to some people,” Capuano stressed. He gave the example of traffic pattern planning, where the planner goes outside and watches what is going on for a few hours, assessing the changes proposed and how they would consequently affect the surrounding areas. Considering the real impacts, not just the impacts a book might state, is a huge part of a planner’s job, and must be taken seriously in order to create a healthy relationship between communities and planners. 

Engaging communities before making a decision is vital according to Capuano. Listening to everyone allows for open communication and elevates bad attitudes since the planner no longer is a stranger who wants to change everything without consulting those whose lives the change will affect. 

Capuano emphasized that these are conversations that are not regularly held because they are difficult conversations that aren’t straight forward but are extremely important. Opinions should be heard and, if they are not agreed with, respectfully disagreed with, or taken into consideration while planning. For Capuano, honesty is the best policy because respect is driven through honesty about views and plans. 

Brian Creamer then opened the floor for questions, where students, faculty, and guests were eager to discuss the topic of engagement. The first question asked was: “What are the most effective ways to generate real engagement?” 

“Get up and go talk to people, get out, go knock on a door, it is not that hard,” Capuano answered. There is an importance about offering to hear their voice rather than just sending an email that they may not read. Talk to people before announcements are made so that as a planner, issues can be considered before they arise. “Apply learnings in a way that will help people you are planning for with their opinion in mind.” 

There was a multitude of questions that followed which discussed prominent planning issues and ideas around the Greater Boston area. Topics discussed include the Green Line Extension, the Silver Line history, the push for sustainable living, the importance of condo control, and the growing population of developers in Boston who are invading neighborhoods such as Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, and Allston.

Capuano closed the discussion with the importance of hearing, listening, and either respectfully agreeing or disagreeing with community members: “to not ask generates anger and distrust [among the community].” 

The night ended with the audience feeling fulfilled in learning more about how engaging with communities benefits all parties involved in planning and should not be overlooked. 

Missed the keynote or want to learn more? Check out the recording on Youtube! 

Delanie Fico, CAS ’21