Town and Country Vision Plan
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1. INTRODUCTION 

The Planning and Urban Design Team began its work after the public's desires and their leaders' goals had been established. We started with the specific mission of creating a vision to guide the Richland County Comprehensive Plan. The vision of the future presented in this report captures the essential ideas and goals of the stakeholders, while adding expertise in natural resources, land use planning and transportation. Over the course of the next several months, the policies and ordinances of the County will be adjusted to reflect the vision concepts. This effort will ensure that the Vision is implemented in the County's frequent decisions, both major and minor, on growth, development and environmental resources.  

The Richland County Vision is the result of extensive inputs from concerned citizens and civic leaders. In 1998, Richland County stakeholders were given many significant opportunities to influence land use planning. Imagine Richland was designed to educate the public about the importance of land use planning and to elicit the community's vision of the future appearance of the County. It consisted of five components: 
 

    •  A Summit on Growth with Nationally Recognized Speakers 
    •  A Representative Sampling of Visual Preferences and Views on Growth and Development (by Market Search) 
    •  A Short Version of the Image Survey (by Market Search) 
    •  A Middle School Student Photography Effort on Likes and Dislikes 
    •  A comprehensive set of stakeholder forums and workshops on what Richland County should be like in the future.
The last component, using Stansbury Resolutions By Design's PIBEO approach, built on prior Imagine Richland efforts with a greater depth of discussion throughout the County. PIBEO means "Public Input Before Expert Output". It stresses the importance of combining the talents and knowledge of citizens and consultants in ways that build consensus, not confrontation. PIBEO does not start with consultant assessments of problems or solutions. It does not rely on formal public hearings. It does not operate in a leadership vacuum. Instead, it stresses clear roles, informal but measurable meetings and value-added expertise. 

In PIBEO, civic leaders endorse and monitor the process, reviewing results while deferring decisions until recommendations are offered. Stakeholders influence outcomes, by defining their own needs, assessing their priorities and offering possible resolutions. Experts add value by responding to stakeholders while ensuring that the results respect scientific, technical and other factors. 

Richland County Council, along with its public and private partners in Imagine Richland, endorsed this concept of public participation at the outset. It liked the fact that PIBEO starts by talking with a diverse group of stakeholders, living throughout the County. It liked the emphasis on consensus-building through facilitated community workshops and forums. Finally, it liked the fact that the consultant team would add its own expertise after the community had identified its own assessment of the problems, possibilities, priorities and potential ideas.
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