Can We Be Partners

AbstractProblem, research strategy, and findings: Sherry Arnstein castigated planners for their tokenistic participation processes. Since then, planning scholars and practitioners have attempted to improve these processes. We report on a Los Angeles (CA) case where Community Health Councils, Inc. (CHC) partnered with the city planners, public health officials, foundations, academics, and residents to pass a Health & Wellness Element in the General Plan Framework and integrate food issues into three community plans. We use a comparative multi-method approach interviewing officials and participants and documenting public meetings, strategy sessions, and other events. We find CHC did develop a successful partnership that represented an improvement over Arnstein’s lower ladders. CHC’s public comment letters had material impact on the language of the element’s provisions. CHC’s collaborative strategy resulted in inclusion of key food-related provisions in the updated West Adams Community Plan. The primary limi...