Building Capacity for Implementation

Grow and mobilize a strong network of people in every sector to support implementation of the Regional Plan.

Connect people in every sector to actions they can take to support the policies and priorities in the Plan.

Ensure that policymakers hear from all sectors of the community as they implement Plan policies by actively reaching out to those who do not traditionally participate in civic affairs.

Incorporate grassroots activities into the strategies for activating residents.

Ensure that all demographic sectors are involved in outreach activities.

Explore employee engagement programs as a way to involve people in SNS.

Reach out and interact with schools, including students, parents, PTA and others.

Utilize a variety of outreach methods that bring engagement opportunities to residents, rather than requiring residents to attend large public events.

Develop and maintain partnerships with communities through formal and informal contact, including community leaders, established business groups, non profits and social service agencies.

Keep people informed about the progress of the Regional Plan implementation and the benefits accruing to the region (broadcast, print and web media).

Establish mechanisms to ensure community input is received as implementation strategies are executed and new ideas are created.

Develop and deploy a pool of communitybased liaisons to facilitate regular two-way communication between the public and decision makers to ensure Plan implementation is having the desired effects on the ground.

Establish SNS kiosks in central locations that help promote messaging and help people stay up to date; use surveys to keep the site dynamic.

Use more photographs to help illustrate development and planning examples.

Develop an education strategy to help improve community understanding of place types, placemaking and planning concepts (e.g., infill development).

Track and monitor commitments of SNS team and partners to conduct engagement activities.

Emphasize implementation so that members see this as a Plan that will not just sit on the shelf.

As a global community with residents and visitors from all over the world, continue to promote the region's image as a welcoming place with a sense of pride and engagement in local decision making and for talent recruitment purposes.

Employ go-to-them public engagement methods to reach a diverse range of residents.

Tailor outreach and engagement methods based on what has worked well in the past, respecting the cultural, linguistic, temporal, and geographic preferences of a community, and the question, action or decision at hand.

Use online methods and interactive tools to facilitate convenient, time-efficient participation.

Foster a community "can-do" spirit through events and activities.

Leverage bilingual community partners, volunteers and staff to provide information in target languages, and to convey a genuine celebration of a multi-cultural and socially equitable future.

Support and connect existing committees working on the needs of people with disabilities to continue to conduct outreach and gather input on the needs of this target audience.

Focus on outreach methods that reach people where they are.

Develop eligibility criteria for regional implementation money that includes equity considerations.

Identify community leaders and champions who will promote the SNS Plan and its implementation.

Seek out community grants for grassroots community organizing efforts to advance Regional Plan implementation.

Provide training that helps residents build their organizing capacity. For example, provide training on how to move from an informal group of concerned citizens to an organized group or association, community-based organization, neighborhood association or multi-hub social network.

Identify communities and organizations that are well-positioned to start, develop and grow community development corporations, organizations that focus on specific neighborhoods and often lead not-for-profit development efforts and provide affordable housing.

Support all those who are working on implementing the Plan with materials, resources and up-to-date information.

Consider providing small grants to neighborhood groups to support local implementation (e.g. community gardens).

Ensure consistency in communication is maintained by preserving the project name, branding, imagery and adhering to brand guidelines in order to demonstrate to the public continuity in the project and a commitment to implementation.

Develop relationships with key reporters and editors of local news outlets, including television, radio, newspaper, ethnic media, business press and online outlets.

Create media-worthy public events that promote Plan objectives and goals.

Create media opportunities for benchmark components and successful completion of specific Plan activities.

Involve key stakeholders and elected officials in all media opportunities.

Maintain proactive editorial calendar.

Coordinate editorial board meetings on Plan implementation and development.

Develop a network of supporters who will act as industry-specific experts and will speak to media and advocate to governmental and decision-making bodies on behalf of the Regional Plan.

Identify peer exchange opportunities and build relationships with a 'kitchen cabinet' of successful regional planning organizations.

Send RTC and member agency staff to attend capacity building training, workshops, and national conferences to build collaboration within and outside the region.

Engage local, regional, state and national leaders to speak at events and share lessons learned and innovative approaches to regional plan implementation.

Ensure RTC staff and Board members have the opportunity to prioritize key implementation activities.

Cultivate regional leaders and stakeholders to advocate for the Regional Plan concepts.

Dedicate staff time and resources to allow ongoing regional collaboration.

Continue to build support for the Regional Plan with the RTC Board and member agency elected officials.

Maintain project name, branding and brand guidelines to build on momentum and connect complementary efforts.

Identify additional stakeholders and project champions; develop new relationships and strengthen existing participation as the Region transitions to implementation.

Convene regional partners from the public and private sectors on a regular basis to maintain support for implementation priorities and to share updates.

Determine appropriate communication and decision making channels relating to Plan implementation. For example, consider nominating an Implementation Advisory Committee to oversee implementation, drawing from or consolidating the existing SNS Consortium Committee, Task Groups, and Working Group, and/or existing RTC stakeholder groups and committees.

Update the Regional Plan, at a minimum, every 10 years with attention to incorporating input from the public, RTC member agencies and stakeholders and other boards who may need to adopt the Plan as a legislative requirement, such as the SNRPC.

Provide access to the Regional Plan online and encourage member agencies and other partners to provide a link to the Plan on their respective websites.

Update the SNS indicators annually or semi-annually to measure progress toward the Regional Plan vision and goals.

Identify metrics or performance measures to align with goals for more precise monitoring as regional capacity and support for planning concepts continues to build.

Pursue an accredited planning program at UNLV.

Continue to brief state legislators on regional implementation work.

Coordinate with local jurisdictions to explore state legislative initiatives that will remove obstacles and promote opportunities for implementation of the Regional Plan goals and objectives.

Organize study tours with public and private sector leaders to other regions that have made strides in implementing their regional plans.

Attend national and regional conferences on topics introduced through the Plan; participate in formal and informal information sharing with model agencies.

Continue to share updates with local, regional and State agencies to align efforts and to achieve mutual priorities.

Augment staff, resources and expertise on regional planning.

Host capacity-building events regularly to maintain momentum and to continue to expose stakeholders to planning principles current research and best practices from other regions.

Work with existing professional organizations to educate their memberships on innovative practices from other regions.

Explore the concept of a fellowship program for planning professionals from other regions to work in Southern Nevada for a set period of time to encourage diversity of thoughts and ideas.

Connect developers, builders and finance institutions to financing options and Plan-recommended products.

Promote financing options through convenings, stakeholder meetings, and targeted industry marketing efforts.

Actively recruit developers with proven experience in other markets.

Host smaller, strategic networking events to connect developers and financing institutions through professional organizations or other networks.

Market strategic sites, such as the Opportunity Sites (Maryland Parkway Corridor, downtown North Las Vegas and Boulder Highway at Gibson/Broadbent), to developers, investors, financing institutions, neighbors and others to share the vision and desire to work collaboratively on redevelopment.

Work with local jurisdictions to identify the current jurisdiction-led activities that the RTC can shoulder and that the local jurisdictions can fund accordingly.

Identify existing activities in the Region that could be folded into Regional Plan implementation.

Continue to actively engage residents and business people in Plan implementation.

Share updates frequently on community engagement accomplishments and outcomes.

Work with local partners to create funding sources for Opportunity Site evaluation.

Look for public-private partnership opportunities for Regional Plan implementation.

Pursue federal funding from the SCI partnership and reach out to other federal partners to determine how they can support implementation of the Regional Plan.

Work with organizations such as the Brookings Institute and the Nevada Community Foundation to increase competitiveness for federal funding and prioritize grant seeking at all levels of government.

Increase coordination and data sharing with the State's Grant Management Office, as well as designees at each local government.

Tie eligibility criteria for state and federal dollars to the ability for the potential project to meet Regional Plan objectives.

Enhance the accuracy, consistency, and timeliness of data reported to the federal government.

Work with community leaders to increase their understanding and support of the Regional Plan.

Dedicate staff time to grant-seeking and grant-writing to look for additional funding sources for Regional Plan implementation.