The Locust Group Selected to Help Lead Rochester’s Sixth Street Bridge Co-Design Process
The eight-month engagement brought diverse community perspectives directly into the public infrastructure design process.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 8, 2021
THE LOCUST GROUP SELECTED TO HELP LEAD COMMUNITY CO-DESIGN PROCESS FOR ROCHESTER’S SIXTH STREET BRIDGE PROJECT
Eight-month engagement will bring diverse community perspectives directly into the public infrastructure design process
ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Locust Group has been selected to work with Perkins&Will and the City of Rochester to help lead a community co-design process supporting the proposed Sixth Street Bridge project.
The proposed bridge is part of Rochester’s broader economic and community development plans. It is intended to create an important new connection across the Zumbro River while improving access among surrounding neighborhoods, downtown Rochester and the riverfront.
As part of the engagement, The Locust Group will develop and facilitate a participatory research and co-design process that gives Rochester residents a meaningful role in informing the project’s development.
Central to the process will be a community co-design team composed of residents representing a range of ages, racial and ethnic backgrounds, abilities and socioeconomic experiences. The team will work with The Locust Group and Perkins&Will over approximately eight months to examine community priorities, consider potential design options and identify ways the project can foster a greater sense of place, connection and belonging.
“Public infrastructure influences how people experience their community for generations,” said Dr. Jonathan Locust Jr., principal of The Locust Group. “The people who live in and move through a community possess knowledge that cannot be replicated by reviewing demographic data or asking for feedback after the major decisions have already been made. Our role is to create a structured process through which those perspectives can meaningfully inform the project.”
The Locust Group will guide the formation of the co-design team, facilitate discussions among residents and project partners, and help translate participants’ experiences, ideas and recommendations into actionable considerations for the design team.
The process will explore more than the physical structure of the bridge. Participants will consider how the project can improve accessibility and connectivity, strengthen relationships between neighborhoods and the riverfront, reflect the experiences of Rochester’s diverse communities, and contribute to a safe and welcoming public environment.
“Community engagement is most valuable when residents are treated as partners in the process—not simply as people responding to a finished proposal,” Locust said. “This partnership gives us an opportunity to demonstrate how community knowledge, inclusive research and professional design expertise can work together to produce stronger public projects.”
The engagement builds upon The Locust Group’s experience helping public agencies, educational institutions and other organizations incorporate diverse stakeholder perspectives into planning, decision-making and organizational improvement.
Through its work with Perkins&Will and the City of Rochester, The Locust Group will help establish a community-centered process designed to produce recommendations that are both responsive to residents and practical for the professionals responsible for moving the bridge project forward.
ABOUT THE LOCUST GROUP
The Locust Group is a research, strategy and organizational development consulting firm that helps public agencies, educational institutions, businesses and community organizations make better decisions through participatory research, stakeholder engagement, strategic planning and process improvement.
Led by Dr. Jonathan Locust Jr., The Locust Group specializes in designing inclusive processes that bring together community knowledge, organizational priorities and complex data. The firm helps clients move from consultation to meaningful participation by translating diverse perspectives into practical strategies, recommendations and measurable outcomes.
MEDIA AND PROJECT INQUIRIES
Dr. Jonathan Locust Jr.
Principal
The Locust Group
216-370-1967