Giving Compass' Take:

• Akron Civic Commons shows how communities can build trust and foster strong relationships with local actors by investing in shared public spaces. 

• The author discusses critical lessons Akron Civic Commons learned through local action. One discussion point is viewing civic engagement as part of the process and the outcome. Why is the power of civic engagement crucial for building trust, and leadership?

• Read more about the impact of transformative placemaking projects. 

Trust is critical to our society. But headlines show Americans no longer trust government and institutions, and we certainly don’t trust business. Even trust among our fellow Americans is in decline.

Without trust, how can our society function? Without trust, how can our democracy flourish? Without trust, how can we develop a shared vision so our communities can prosper?

While this challenge can seem daunting, perhaps even insurmountable, I believe trust starts at the local level. And in Akron, we’ve found that the simple acts of bringing neighbors and residents together and working side by side on our shared spaces offers a good first step at rebuilding trust.

Through Akron Civic Commons, a series of investments in our public spaces — the parks, trails and community centers meant to serve us all — we’ve discovered the power of the civic commons to bring people together and counter these trends of distrust. And we’ve developed a new way of working that puts trust at the center of community investment.

Reflecting on the past two years of work through the Akron Civic Commons offers some key lessons for building trust through local action:

  • Process is just as important as product.  It is through this process of reimagining our shared assets — by listening, co-creating and co-stewarding, testing ideas and following on with permanent investments — that we are nurturing new relationships and fostering trust in communities.
  • Viewing civic engagement as both an input and an outcome drives a different approach.  When civic engagement is viewed not only as an input to a project, but also as an outcome of the work, the approach is paramount to cultivating sustained public life, stewardship, advocacy and trust.
  • Collaboration can set the stage. 

Read the full article about civic investment in shared public spaces by Daniel Rice at Medium