APPROACH

Our approach to community planning and engagement
is guided by the following principles.

Values Based

Any successful plan should be driven by the interests, values, and vision of the community, including those who will implement the plan and those who will be impacted by it. 

Participatory

We understand that meaningful, participatory engagement is at the root of successful planning initiatives. Meaningful engagement requires the ability to skillfully work with difference and conflict in groups, promote safe and inclusive spaces for equity-seeking groups, and create a process and container that channels any potential disagreement into innovative ideas and solutions. 

Collaborative

Our team strongly believes in the power of collaboration. The best ideas are generated when a diverse group of people come together, bringing different perspectives, approaches, and expertise to address a given issue. Working together and drawing on each other’s strengths, EcoPlan provides a wealth of expertise in engaging communities of all kinds using a range of tools, technologies, and creative engagement methods. We approach this work with curiosity, humility, and a practice of listening first, speaking second. 

Reflective

We understand that the profession of planning has grown out of a legacy marked by colonialism and racism. It is our responsibility to seek justice with communities who have been and continue to be impacted by injustice. This principle has been a priority at EcoPlan since our founding and we continue to learn, reflect, and develop actions and policies to support this principle.

Structured

We understand that effective engagement involves actually using the information and input provided by those in the project process and outcomes. Our firm is widely recognized for our integration of award-winning engagement and facilitation methods with rigorous technical analysis and innovative structured decision-making approaches to achieve effective results.

Adaptive and Results-focused

EcoPlan has been a team leader on many complex and time-sensitive engagement-focused projects for a range of clients. Through our experience, we have developed team and project management systems that ensure quality projects are delivered on time and on budget. Our approach involves consistent contact between the client and the project manager, to ensure that information is always current and that the activities of the consultant team remain in step with the needs of the client.