Figure 2.3 The Core Team and Sector Advisers

and confi dence. The secretariat is a small group that serves the collaboration by undertaking research on critical issues, facilitation at meetings, communications between meetings, and event planning. An eff ective secretariat may help build confi dence and make the process feel productive, fun, and worthwhile to all members. The collaborative process may require a core team if the collaboration is undertaking to create a pact or strategic plan (fi gure 2.3). Alternatively, the collaboration may guide and direct the planning work accomplished by the staff s of the various stakeholders.

Figure 2.3 The Core Team and Sector Advisers

Source: Author elaboration (Sebastian Moffatt). Note: The core team may be supported by a ring of sector champions, each of whom connects the working group to a larger network of experts and stakeholders. New urban infrastructure places special emphasis on sectors such as energy, transportation, water, the environment, and materials management. However, other sectors may also offer substantial contributions.

Developing a Shared Framework for Aligning Visions and Actions

A common framework may greatly enhance communications and coordination

Frameworks are the mental maps that we use to make sense of the work schedule: what comes fi rst and second, how our particular contribution fi ts with the work of others, and so on. Typically, there are big diff erences in the frameworks that diff erent individuals bring to a project. These diff erences may reside in how groups understand the goals of a project, or who infl uences who, or how their plans are expected to fi t with other plans. Developing a common framework can help overcome these disconnects and make a diverse group of largely autonomous stakeholders operate more as a team. A framework for urban planning and design covers all steps from start to fi nish. An example of such a framework is the pyramid shown in fi gure 2.4. At the pinnacle is the scope of the framework, which clarifi es the extent of the urban area to be included, identifi es the types of urban systems to be considered, and diagnoses the strengths and weaknesses of the system as it currently operates.

After scoping and diagnostics, a framework typically expands to include a shared vision statement and a set of long-term goals. These broad statements are then unbundled into more specifi c and immediate targets, strategic plans, actions, and ongoing learning processes. The framework may include any principle, goal, or strategy that the users desire, and it may be easily molded to fi t any current planning framework, method, and terminology. In this sense, it is a type of methodological pluralism: everything fi ts inside the framework.

Perhaps most important, a framework builds in accountability, thereby helping to avoid short-term political decisions that are inconsistent with goals and targets. It also creates the opportunity to monitor performance against specifi c goals and targets and to update plans and adapt to changes without losing sight