The Bottom-Up Revolution Eric Higbee: How to Master the Art of Community Engagement
Jun 26, 2025
Eric Higbee is a landscape architect and educator at the University of Washington, focusing on community design and engagement. In this discussion, he emphasizes the necessity of genuine community involvement for resilient towns. Highlighting the pitfalls of traditional approaches, Eric advocates for collaborative, grassroots initiatives like community gardens that foster social ties and civic pride. He also examines how technology influences engagement and the importance of strong local connections, encouraging a redefined approach to community interaction.
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Eric's Placemaking Journey
- Eric Higbee shared his journey from working on large civic projects to focusing on community-engaged placemaking.
- He witnessed how collaborative place-shaping processes generate community pride and social cohesion.
Missed Opportunity in Engagement
- Most community engagement is used only to solicit input, missing the chance to build social connections.
- Minimizing interactions between participants to avoid conflict weakens community cohesion opportunities.
Community Engagement as Civic Renewal
- Community engagement is frontline democracy helping build shared place-based identity and agency.
- Civic renewal depends on bottom-up, local social cohesion through engagement processes.
