Rejuvenating Neighborhoods and Communities Through Parks—A Guide To Success www.NRPA.org National Recreation and Park Association © 2011 All Rights Reserved 33 Open Space Technology Open space technology (OST) is another method that could be considered part of the PAR approach While OST uses technology to efficiently process the findings that were generated, it actually enters the process early on, by aiding the session organizers in establishing a place, time, and structure, so that stakeholders and other interested parties can come together and have a meaningful, orderly discussion Using OST, the organizers can extend an open invitation to any number of people In fact, the organizational structure and strategy of OST favors the needs and preferences of attendees over the goals of the organizing group While it may appear to be loosely structured, OST in reality is a very orderly approach OST benefits both the organizers of information gathering and the outcomes • It accommodates for any number of people, from smaller groups (say, a dozen people) to hundreds of people • It is participant centered This method directs participants (those attending the OST) to identify the issues and agenda items for the gathering In other words, the issues important to the organizers are not part of the process • It is facilitation friendly OST can easily accommodate people with diverse backgrounds or conflicting opinions and can address complex issues as well, which is not always the case with revitalization projects • It delivers organized results This process lends itself to producing a set of findings that can be assigned varying levels of priority With open space technology, no agenda is created for the meeting Actually, a predetermined set of questions or agendas would be counter to the philosophy and purpose of OST This does not imply, however, that OST meetings are called or organized in a haphazard manner The following implementation guidelines explain Prior to the OST Meeting These considerations should be addressed before invitations go out • The focus. The focus or theme of the gathering must be clearly stated so that it will attract people with an interest or concern for the issue But at the same time, the organizers should not suggest specific ideas or directions for the gathering’s outcome • The group. Individuals who are interested, involved, or committed to the topic are the people best prepared to participate The invitation to the event should be open to all, but organizers often make a concerted effort to invite specific individuals or groups of individuals Recall that the size of the group is not especially important in this approach • The space. The space is important: it needs to be large enough to hold the group, with ample room to move around A room with a long, blank wall suitable for having big sheets of paper taped to it is a real help Movable chairs are preferable to fixed furniture • The time. The time requirements naturally vary based on the depth of the ideas and information desired For an initial public event, a few hours are adequate, but some OST events go a full day or up to two to three days Choose a time that will be available for the people you would most like to attend • Supplies and equipment. Supplies should include large sheets of paper (at least one per participant; flipchart paper works well), markers, masking tape, and movable chairs • Room setup. Whether participants sit in a circle of chairs or stand, each one should be able to easily see the information posted on the long wall
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