Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan

Project Highlights

• Awarded APA-NC Marvin Collins Award for a Comprehensive Plan
• Received First Place Award for Citizen Participation from the North Carolina City & County Communicators (NC3C) 2022 Excellence in Communications Awards.

• Engaged hundreds of residents through a variety of techniques, largely virtual

• Bilingual outreach materials and events designed to reach all residents

• Led research on affordable housing, economic sustainability, and climate action

• Developed and refined tools and policies to improve access to recreation, arts and culture, open space, and alternative transportation

Carrboro Connects was an all-hands-on-deck approach to leading a comprehensive plan during a pandemic. As the Town’s first comprehensive plan, Teska designed an extensive community engagement process aiming to reach all residents of this diverse community that includes long-time BIPOC residents, tech workers, immigrants, and graduate students and faculty from the neighboring campus of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Virtual engagement included interviews with over 60 community leaders, nine 30-person Task Force meetings, and two bilingual workshops that each had participation from over 100 residents, businesses, and stakeholders. Teska also assisted with the Town’s first Facebook Live event in Spanish, featuring a conversation between Latino community leaders and elected officials.