What is PLACE?
A County government initiative to update the “Arlington Way” by expanding the ways in which our residents engage with each other and our government to enrich Arlington.
“Our challenge now is to ensure that Arlington — our home town — continues to tap into our residents’ and County staff’s talents, so that Arlington remains a great place for all kinds of folks — even in these increasingly demanding times.” — Arlington County Board Chair Mary Hughes Hynes
Who is involved?
- You, your family, your friends and your neighbors.
- Anyone, really, who lives, works, or owns a business in Arlington.
- Groups, organizations and individuals from every corner of the County and every walk of life.
- The County Board and County staff
What is the goal?
- Reinvigorate the Arlington Way in key government decisions
- Strengthen participation, leaders and civic engagement and link them together
- Refine existing processes to ensure local leaders have more success in their interactions with County government.
- View the December 2012 report detailing accomplishments to date and future plans.
How do we get there?
- Offer regular civic engagement training for residents, commissioners and staff
- Find new ways to encourage persistent, thoughtful, constructive residents to engage in the continuing work of improving Arlington.
- Create a community map that captures the depth and breadth of Arlington’s groups, leagues, organizations and other entities.
- Engage in a community-wide conversation to develop a clear description of the Arlington Way, to energize civic decision-making processes.
- Understand, describe the role that each sector plays in achieving successful civil discourse.
- Build effective civic engagement into staff’s work and evaluation processes.
Kick-off time!
To kick-off PLACE, Arlington County Board Chair Mary Hynes described the initiative, using a visual presentation.
"This will not be an exercise. It is not about simply checking a box on civic engagement. Our goal is for more members of our community to be involved — actively and constructively — in the important local government decisions that affect their lives and those of their neighbors.”
