Some community engagement process has occurred already, most recently in 2022, and we heard calls for an arts and cultural center; community gathering spaces for fun, meetings, events, hanging out & trust-building, etc.; mutual aid and solidarity economy; and goals of community and climate resilience. Overall, the eventual space and the planning process itself should further DSNI’s goals of building community power that prevents displacement, puts decisions into collective community stewardship, and changes our relationships to land and each other.

The most important thing is that community members should be in control of the planning process and able to shape what the space eventually looks like. Our theory of change centers around the community design/ decision-making process itself furthering the goals of building resilience & systems change through participatory planning, and deeper interconnection in our neighborhood. Our process vision is also steeped in a commitment to explore how radical imagining, play, art, popular education, creative prototyping, and placemaking/placekeeping can contribute to that just process.

Throughout the spring, summer, and fall, we’re planning on activating the space with events, activities, community organizing and community planning sessions, and whatever else we can dream up!  The following elements are parts of building a community-led process for collectively deciding what should happen with the space.

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee, convened by the DSNI team, will be composed of neighbors of Plaza Borinquen, City of Boston representation, a youth member, a Dorchester Bay CDC representative, and advised by various architects and other experts. The Steering Committee meets every other week throughout the planning process and will play an active role in shaping engagement strategies, planning events, connecting to other residents, and reviewing community feedback.

Activation and Events

During the spring/summer planning period, DSNI will host a series of creative site activations and community events that invite residents to experience and imagine possibilities for the space. These may include cultural events, artistic programming, workshops, and temporary installations that transform the site into a welcoming community gathering space. Some ideas we have started brainstorming include:

• Artisan space, makerspace, “creative incubator,” gallery, art park; Teaching and learning space: workshops, demonstrations, classes, collaborative art, etc., especially around community care/mutual aid and arts

• Performance events, movies, live music, creative theater

• Temporary raised beds, food forest, free markets, flea markets, etc.

• Community organizing for other issues in our community, climate resilience (eg. learning about Common Senses), community planning engagement for the space itself

• Events hosted by partner orgs, artists, and community members 

Activation events will incorporate “prototyping” and speculative engagement methods, such as temporary structures or scenario-building activities that allow community members to physically experience/imagine possible futures for the space. During and outside events we hope to engage residents and local artists in collective art-making that can live in the space until the end of our short-term lease. Events and also “passive activation” in the space will all include opportunities for community members to draw, speak out loud, arrange with physical objects, and/or write their visions, priorities, and desires for the space while learning from interactive displays.

Additional Community Planning Efforts

The majority of community engagement will happen during these activations, but additional elements of the community-driven planning process will occur during the Steering Committee and in specific group settings. Focus groups and workshops could engage specific types of stakeholders or drill into topic-specific planning further into the process.