1. Planning for
the INTERcultural City
Practice + Visions
Tufts University Intercultural Planning Group
www.sites.tufts.edu/tuftsicp
October 22, 2010

2. Theresa Park, Community Development Director,
City of Lowell
Planning for the INTERcultural City

3. Cultural Competency in Planning:
What It Means For Lowell
Tufts Symposium
October 22, 2010

4. Lowell’s History

5. Changing Face of Lowell

6. Lowell’s Comprehensive Master Plan
• Lowell should:
– be a “lifetime city”
– have a creative
workforce
– offer a high quality of
life
– retain an
independent identity
as a unique city

7. Population Characteristics
Place of Birth
76%
24%
Native
Foreign born
Language Spoken At Home (Population
5 years and over)
58%
42%
English only
Language other
than English
Source: 2006-2008 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates
Household Income
10%
7%
11%
8%
13%20%
16%
11%
3%
1%
Less than $10,000
$10,000 to $14,999
$15,000 to $24,999
$25,000 to $34,999
$35,000 to $49,999
$50,000 to $74,999
$75,000 to $99,999
$100,000 to $149,999
$150,000 to $199,999
$200,000 or more
Educational Attainment
11%
12%
32%16%
7%
14%
8%
Less than 9th grade
9th to 12th grade, no
diploma
High school graduate
(includes
equivalency)
Some college, no
degree
Associate's degree
Bachelor's degree
Graduate or
professional degree

8. Hamilton Canal District
• 15 acres of vacant and
underutilized land
• Will transform the
gateway to the city into
a new mixed-use
development
• Nearly double the size
of Lowell’s Downtown
• Reconnects Downtown
to core transportation
amenities

9. HCD Charrette Process
 A multi-day planning event that engages all potential
stakeholders in developing a realistic plan for the
project that represents a consensus vision for the
Hamilton Canal
 The Charrette team will include architects, planners,
engineers, finance professionals, and trained
facilitators
 Multiple public meetings and events provide
opportunities for feedback and communication
between the leaders and all participants
 The master plan for the development will include:
 placement, use, massing, and character of buildings
 location and designs for open spaces and infrastructure
 a realistic financial model to implement the project,
 an extensive set of drawings and models illustrating
the project vision in a manner that can be readily
understood by all participants

10. Gateway Plus – City building Workshops

11. Planning Recommendations

12. Barriers to Participation
• Cost
• Time
• Language barrier
• Integration into the
mainstream community
• Transportation
• Awareness of available
programs & services

13. Institutional Partnership

14. Accessible Information

15. Cultivate Stewardship - Public Matters
• Create a network of new leaders fully engaged in the future of
Lowell;
• Provide a forum for emerging and existing leaders to develop
a vision for community development that strengthens the
whole community;
• Promote an understanding of and appreciation for the history,
cultural diversity, and economic and government resources of
Lowell;
• Encourage resource sharing and collaboration;
• Building the capacity of the public and private sectors through
the development of leadership and experiential learning; and
• Ensure diversity among the leaders of Lowell.

16. Celebration of Culture

17. For additional information about
the City of Lowell:
Theresa Park
Director of Economic Development
City of Lowell
Department of Planning & Development
978/674-1432 or tpark@lowellma.gov