Formation – Above Green

Build the necessary leadership, collaboration, and decision-making governance to support effective action through all phases of development and implementation.

Formation focuses on shaping the necessary leadership, collaboration, and decision-making governance to support effective action through all phases of development and implementation. Formation is a key stage in exercising a district’s commitment to procedural and structural equity in engagement and decision-making.

COLLABORATIVE FORMATION IN 3 STEPS

STEP 1: CONFIRM READINESS TO FORM A DISTRICT

Conduct an evaluation to determine whether a district is ready to meet the Protocol requirements.

REQUIRED ACTIONS:

Convene stakeholders to understand the issues, opportunities, and organizations that will come together to form the district and determine the capacity to collaborate.
Identify an interim district boundary that will be refined in subsequent steps.
Prepare an asset map that categorizes social, economic, physical, and organizational assets according to their location inside or outside the district, and their control by entities based inside or outside the district.

STEP 2: ESTABLISH DISTRICT ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY

Establish a district team that emerges from Step 1 to manage the formation and implementation process over time. The team will need capacity to evaluate backbone organization options, select the best fit, and move effectively through implementation phases.

REQUIRED ACTIONS:

Form a district team of key stakeholders representing the district’s major public, private, and civic sector assets.
Evaluate the best options for organizing a collaborative governance framework.

STEP 3: COMMIT TO COLLABORATION

Formalize the district’s governance approach in a Declaration of Collaboration document that establishes a backbone organization, a decision-making body and procedures, and ongoing stakeholder engagement in district activities.

REQUIRED ACTIONS:

Identify or establish a backbone organization with the capability and necessary resources to support district activities.
Create and adopt a Declaration of Collaboration that establishes or designates a backbone organization, defines roles and responsibilities, establishes or designates a decision-making body, and describes resources that stakeholders will provide to the organization over time.