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Composite example — not a single audited project
A project, step by step
An illustration of how the steps, the engagement, and the platform work together — built from the patterns of real work, to show what actually happens at each stage.
1
Community picture
Before any research starts, I find out who is already there — the groups, the informal leaders, the history the place carries.
Example: a residents’ association and a handful of long-standing shop owners near a corner that used to be the busiest spot on the street, before it quietly emptied out.
2
Conversation
People talk about the place in their own words, through a local leader they already trust, in their own time — not mine. This is where humility matters most: I arrive having done my homework, not having the answers. I can do this work directly too, but it takes longer — trust isn’t given easily to someone coming from outside, and I don’t want to stand above anyone as the specialized professional who already knows best.
Example: the residents’ chairperson gathers early impressions before any meeting is called, so the first conversation isn’t also the first time anyone’s been asked.
3
Place map
People mark the places that matter to them and say what those places mean — not what I assume they mean.
Example: a shop owner marks the corner itself: “this was the busiest spot before the closure, nobody walks past anymore.”
4
Data & lenses
Everything collected goes into the data file — the actual working document behind this page — and gets read through three lenses: sustainability, human-centred, learning.
Example: a foot-traffic count and a recurring theme — people feeling “forgotten” — are logged side by side, so a hard number and a lived experience carry equal weight.
5
Results, open to the community
Findings go back to the people who gave them, published rather than filed away. They can correct what’s wrong before anything is decided.
Example: a resident points out the foot-traffic count missed market day — the figure is corrected, and the correction is kept, not quietly dropped.
6
What it becomes
Depending on what the group actually needs, this turns into a meeting, a workshop, an event, or a change to the place itself.
Example: a concept workshop with residents and shop owners, built directly from what came out of steps 1–5 — not a template applied from outside.
Why this matters
No two communities are the same. Our approach is grounded in respect for First Nations and Indigenous communities, and shaped to fit whoever a place is made up of. The steps above are the same every time; who I meet, what I learn, and how long it takes to earn trust are not.
This example is composite, built from the patterns of real engagements — not a record of one specific project.
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