The challenge:

A local community organization was seeking to develop a park development plan for a 1.3-mile-long parcel of land along the Brooklyn waterfront.  Faced with multiple visions of the plan embraced by a wide range of constituencies, the group turned to TMO to help them with the daunting task of building consensus.

The strategy:

TMO became a central player in developing communications for the master plan for the 67-acre, $700-million Brooklyn Bridge Park.  We assumed responsibility for community outreach and embarked on an ambitious series of community forums over an 18-month period.  Tens of thousands of people debated plans for the park.  TMO brought together disparate views of government officials, community, civic, business, conservation and recreation groups.  The agency designed and disseminated direct mail materials and tantalized local media with the promise of what was to come.

The results:

The final master plan won widespread praise as a model of urban consensus building.  It gained local media support and attracted endorsements from more than 30 community groups.  As an outgrowth of the consensus achieved through TMO's strategic community relations initiative, state and city officials have to date committed $150 million toward development of Brooklyn Bridge Park.