Public invited to shape ‘inclusive civic spaces’ at UB-led forum in Buffalo

UB’s Philosophy, Political Science and Economics Program (PPE) will hold a deliberative forum, “Growing Inclusive Civic Spaces,” at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Northland Workforce Training Center, 683 Northland Ave.. Buffalo.

Deliberative forums operate primarily through the input of community members, making the people in Buffalo’s neighborhoods, schools and public spaces the primary instrument for generating ideas that can lead to positive change. This approach to public deliberation is part of the PPE program’s $2.5 million Templeton Foundation grant that explores how diversity, disagreement and dynamism are resources for fueling on open society.

Anyone interested must register in advance for the event. Organizers expect about 100 people to join the educators, librarians, government representatives, artists and others who have already agreed to participate.

“Our purpose is to make sure this model of diversity is informed by how people interact with the world,” says Ryan Muldoon, professor of philosophy and founder of the PPE program. “The goal is to draw on the wisdom of participants and to learn from their lived experiences.

“We want to know what people think of when they hear the term inclusive space. What do they expect? How are they involved with that space? How do they seek it out?”

The forum’s structure involves small groups from the entire audience working with facilitators trained to help guide a productive discussion around a set of research questions. An expert panel of UB faculty and community leaders will also be available for questions that arise within the groups. That panel includes Muldoon; Henry-Louis Taylor Jr., professor of urban and regional planning; Dennice Barr, community liaison for the Fruit Belt neighborhood in Buffalo; and Caitlin Crowell, community researcher for the Partnership for the Public Good.

“This is a direct opportunity to apply knowledge gained from the experiences of the people who make up the fabric of civic life in Buffalo,” says Muldoon.

Following the event, organizers will write a summary of the forum and develop plans to advance the discussion as part of a more informal event in the spring to review what the group learned collectively and how to take steps toward implementation.

Muldoon says the follow-up is critical. PPE built it into its 2024 forum on “Welcoming New Arrivals to Western New York,” and will do the same with the third forum related to the Templeton grant, which will be held next year.

“These deliberative forums demonstrate the PPE program’s ongoing commitment to expanding our network of external partners and fostering a model of pairing academic research with community engagement,” says Muldoon.