FMRA LLC Northampton MVP 2.0 Proposal 2023 v1.pdfCity of Northampton MVP 2.0 Vendor PROPOSAL
10.31.2023
Proposal:City of Northampton MVP 2.0 Vendor
Prepared for:Sarah LaValley,Assistant Director with Land Acquisition,Conservation,CPA,of the
City of Northampton
Prepared by:Jason Lee,Principal,FMRĀ LLC
Rev 1
Introduction
FMRA is grateful for the opportunity to submit this proposal.We applaud the care and
consideration the City of Northampton is taking in issuing the RFP to assist the City in improving
its engagement in community planning within “climate vulnerable”populations through social
equity-centered project facilitation.We believe our skills,knowledge,and experience (both
professional and personal),make FMRA the ideal firm to expand the climate resilience work of
the City of Northampton through the MVP 2.0 project.FMRA believes that our job as facilitator is
to amplify the voices of marginalized and vulnerable communities by empowering them with the
tools and language to advocate more effectively for themselves.We use empathy based design
tactics and tools to bridge communication gaps between stakeholders of different cultural and
social backgrounds.We help clients and communities co-design pathways,policies,and
behaviors to achieve their social,racial,and environmental justice and equity goals.
Vendor Description
FMRA is a strategic design consultancy that partners with clients to design for equity in the civic
realm.We believe the future of our society will be the product of all our voices -from the least to
the most enfranchised citizens of our community.It will be more resilient because it will
celebrate multiculturalism,mutual respect,and equity.We use the tools and tactics of design
thinking,human centered design,architecture,and urban design to help our clients realize their
part of this vision.Our goal is to empower our clients and communities with the tools,tactics,
and language of design to advocate and build a more equitable and just future for everyone.
FMRA has three primary workstreams:
Organizational Development and Culture,Strategic Planning
To dismantle White Supremacist culture requires that we reimagine how organizations are
structured and operate.We work with clients to evaluate their internal processes,policies,
organizational structures,behaviors,and communication skills so they can live their antiracist
values internally with their team and externally through their work.
Strategic Initiatives
We work to amplify the voices of our clients by helping gather and build communities of
collaborators and partners.We work with clients to design,convene,and facilitate large
multi-stakeholder engagements around a particular topic or issue.
Community Building
1
City of Northampton MVP 2.0 Vendor PROPOSAL
10.31.2023
We believe that in order to build a more equitable world we need to create the space for
collective dreaming and conversation.We use our expertise to build community in different ways,
whether it’s running affinity groups or facilitating team building exercises.
Our clients are primarily nonprofits and government agencies.Previous clients include:The
Langara Faculty Association (a local college in Vancouver,Canada),The Boston Planning and
Development Agency (BPDA),The Asian Community Development Corporation,The Boston Public
Schools,MassHousing (quasi-state financial institution established to build affordable housing in
Massachusetts),The Livable Streets Alliance (equity focused transit and mobility non-profit),
MassBudget (non-profit state budget watchdog),The Town of Winchester,and others.FMRA has
been in operation for 5 years and is led by Jason Lee,Founder and sole proprietor,who works
with a close network of contractors and collaborators on various projects.
Values and Principles that Guide our Work
FMRA believes that working collaboratively is foundational to all civic design projects.We believe
that our primary role in every project is to facilitate an inclusive process that enables the
stakeholders to design and implement their best vision of the project.This applies to all aspects
of the project and to the proposal itself.To unpack how we run a collaborative research and
design process,we have highlighted a few of our values which we think are critical to this work:
Collective power.Through interviews,workshops,and stakeholder engagement,we embrace
collective action and power as an essential part of our work.
Consensus based decision making.FMRA believes that when making major decisions all parties
that will be impacted by a decision should be informed and given the opportunity to voice
opinions.Teams should take the time to align their perspectives and have that alignment
reflected in the final decision.
Change happens at the speed of trust.Real change takes time and a strong commitment from all
stakeholders.We believe it is more important to take our time and build authentic relationships
because they are the foundation of lasting and deep positive change.
Planned obsolescence:We believe our work as consultants follows the old adage,‘Give a man a
fish and you feed him for a day.Teach him to fish and he can feed himself for a lifetime.’While
we love working with our clients,we measure our success by the degree to which clients feel
empowered to continue the work we do after we have gone.
Process
In alignment with our values,FMRA uses several design methodologies and tools for all our
projects that are rooted in understanding the emotional and intellectual perspectives of the
stakeholders to build durable and inclusive spaces.In addition to many documents and
resources related to antiracism,our process centers around two nested design methodologies:
2
City of Northampton MVP 2.0 Vendor PROPOSAL
10.31.2023
Design Thinking is a design methodology that prioritizes empathy and iteration.It tries to
authentically connect with stakeholders and create a safe space for failure and experimentation.
Design Thinking has a prescribed set of steps that are repeated as needed --Empathize,Define,
Ideate,Prototype,and Test --which we saw reflected in the process laid out in the RFP (albeit
using different language).We believe that Design Thinking can be a powerful tool in building a
more equitable future and have successfully used it to empower many of our clients.
Human-centered design (HCD)is a component of Design Thinking that prescribes how
stakeholders are engaged to inform design decisions.It prioritizes building a deep understanding
of people’s experiences,needs,and aspirations in order to create meaningful and sustainable
solutions.For our proposed process,qualitative data from stakeholder interviews would be
synthesized into organizational insights that will drive the remaining strategy and process.We
will consistently refer back to those findings and hold frequent retrospectives to ensure that we
are meeting the needs of our stakeholders.
Participatory Action Research (PAR)is a framework for conducting research and generating knowledge
centered on the belief that those who are most impacted by research should be the ones taking the lead
in framing the questions,the design,methods,and the modes of analysis of such research projects.
Project Team
Jason Lee (He/Him,Chinese Canadian/American),Founder and Principal -Jason has been working
in the social innovation sector for over 10 years.Since founding FMRA in 2018,He has led social
justice and racial equity projects with a variety of non-profit,institutional,and government clients.
Outside of FMRA,Jason is the Board Chair for the Livable Streets Alliance,a member of the
Executive Committee of the Planners of Color Network,and a mentor and member of the
advisory board at MIT’s DesignX social innovation accelerator program.He also is a town
meeting member of Winchester,where he lives.Jason has a B.A.in Anthropology from McGill,
and a M.Arch from the University of Toronto.
Qualifications
All FMRA team members have completed the following trainings "Fundamentals of Facilitation for
Racial Justice,"by the Interaction Institute for Social Change,“Facilitating Cultural Change,”with
Beth Zemsky (both as a co-facilitator and participant),“Design Thinking/Human Centered
Design,”courses by Ideo U,and “Facilitative Leadership for Social Change,”by the Interaction
Institute for Social Change.
Additional Experience
FMRA has worked on a number of projects that follow community engagement principles and
practices such as Participatory Action Research and Human Centered Design.We have adapted
many techniques and processes from Restorative Justice to guide our interactions and
3
City of Northampton MVP 2.0 Vendor PROPOSAL
10.31.2023
relationship building with local community members and stakeholders.Our engagement and
research processes prioritize lived experience and narrative (also sometimes referred to as
qualitative data)to validate quantitative data and observations.Here are some examples how
this works in a project:
1.The Asian Community Development Corporation’s (ACDC)Rebuilding Neighborhoods
Advisory Group.The Rebuilding Neighborhoods Initiative was a multi-neighborhood effort
to think through the issues of affordable housing and gentrification in the Greater Boston
area.It was started by the Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC),who
invited the Alliance for Business Leadership (ABL)to co-convene the initiative and FMRA
to design and facilitate the sessions.Through generous funding from Toast and The
Boston Foundation,it brought together multiethnic,multi-disciplinary leaders from the
innovation sector,public sector,and local communities to form an advisory group with the
goal of developing strategies to address affordable housing and gentrification issues in
Greater Boston.Over the course of a year,we convened 6 workshops to learn about other
local efforts to combat gentrification and economic displacement and to develop three
proposals for local projects in each of our target communities (Chinatown Boston,Union
Square in Somerville,and Fenway Boston).We gathered local community members,
CBOs,small business owners,and major corporations from these neighborhoods,
conducted one on one interviews with everyone to understand their pain points and
aspirations,and guided them through a co-design process.The project culminated in
proposals for projects in each of the three neighborhoods.
2.Boston Society of Architects (BSA)Social Equity Frameworks Projects.FMRA has received
grant funding to research social equity frameworks.A social equity framework is a plan of
action to address issues of social,civic,racial,and environmental justice that
accompanies an architectural or urban design project.It describes measures that the
architect and developer will take beyond the construction of their project that will
contribute to the civic and social health of the community.While many municipalities
mandate contributions to public art funds,affordable housing funds,and public space,
there are no standards or requirements for more direct contributions to the local
community or to community based organizations.As a result,there is little incentive for
developers and architects to really understand the needs of the local community and
collaborate with them on design solutions,nor is there a structural model for long-term
engagement with communities.A social equity framework fills this gap.FMRA will conduct
over 60 interviews with local community members,SMEs,architects,planners,
developers,and others to research examples of urban design and architectural projects
that have social equity frameworks in order to understand the underlying conditions,
approaches,partnerships and co-design models.Following this initial research phase,we
will synthesize a basic social equity framework and discuss it widely,working toward a
pilot project with willing municipalities,architects,and developers.The pilot would enable
4
City of Northampton MVP 2.0 Vendor PROPOSAL
10.31.2023
us to refine the framework and templates and financial models to eventually deploy it for
all design and construction projects in the greater Boston area (and beyond).Similar to
how the USGBC developed LEED accreditation,ultimately we envision a certification
system that promotes/mandates the inclusion of social equity considerations in all
architectural and urban design projects.
3.The Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA)2023 Leadership Summits.FMRA
was invited by the community engagement office of the BPDA to convene a series of three
leadership summits to address issues of organizational culture and strategic planning as
it relates advancing the Wu administration's goals of racial and social justice for the
organization’s internal operations as well as for urban planning in the city.Through the
workshops,the leadership team co-designed a series of projects which would combat
White Supremacy culture inside the BPDA,set the policy and behavior foundations for
internal and external projects,and clarify the sequence for the implementation of their
strategic plan.We conducted numerous one on one interviews with staff and leadership
and designed and processed several surveys to understand the cultural and structural
issues of the BPDA.
4.Masshousing Community Services Department Transformation project.FMRA was engaged
by MassHousing,the quasi-state financial institution that supports the development of
affordable housing,to redesign and restructure their Community Services Department.
We interviewed over 50 residents of various affordable housing communities from the
Berkshires,to Springfield,and the greater Boston area.We also interviewed staff and
facilities managers of numerous developments all in an effort to understand the needs
and aspirations of the residents and local communities.We then selected a few
community members and staff to co-design new services and processes with the
leadership team of the Community Services Department to be rolled out across
MassHousing’s portfolio of developments.
Project Understanding
FMRA is particularly qualified to support this project because of our values and process
alignment with the MVP 2.0 project process guide.Our experiences co-designing with and
facilitating community led social equity projects make us ideal candidates for this kind of work.
Additionally,the clarity of the process (as described in the MVP 2.0 Process Guide)and the
deliverables (as described in the RFP)make it extremely easy for FMRA to engage in and lead the
project.
Scope of Services
Please refer to the Scope of Services described in the RFP.
5
City of Northampton MVP 2.0 Vendor PROPOSAL
10.31.2023
Project Schedule,Budget,and Commitment
FMRA acknowledges and commits to the responsibilities,timeline,and budget of the work
proposed in the RFP.FMRA is familiar with the MVP 2.0 Process Guide and proposes no changes
to the budget provided in the RFP.
References
Angie Liou
Executive Director of the ASIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
E:angie.liou@asiancdc.org
T:(617)482-2380 #205
Ben Peterson
Director,Community Design &Member Engagement at the Boston Society of Architects
E:bpeterson@architects.org
T:(617)391-4014
Reuben Kantor
Senior Advisor for Strategy and Operations at the Boston Planning and Development Agency
E:reuben.kantor@boston.go
T:(617)372-2936 (mobile)
Thaddeus Miles
Director of the Community Services Department at MassHousing
E:TMiles@masshousing.com
T:(857)272-8983
Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to peruse our very short proposal.The clarity of the RFP and
supporting documents made it fairly straightforward to prepare this proposal.I understand that
our primary responsibility with this project is to connect authentically with the local EJ community
(and city staff)and effectively run the process laid out in the MVP 2.0 Process Guide.If you have
time,I encourage you to look at our website -https://www.fmra.space/.I would love to discuss
this project and our proposal further with you.
Sincerely,
Jason Lee,Principal and Founder of FMRA LLC.
6