Meeting
the Challenge:
Creating a Community Vision
& Making It HappenCommunities,
like paintings, are essentially an aggregation of multiple "colors"
sometimes expertly combined and sometimes not. We
can all recognize the difference between a good painting and a bad painting. Good
painters are internally driven, care passionately about their vision, and work
tirelessly to combine the individual elements to create it. The painter of a cheap
motel painting is primarily driven by external needs—getting immediate cash,
creating something a certain size to match given decorations, and getting as many
done as cheaply as possible. The difference is motivation, vision and commitment
to a quality product.
The
difference between good and bad community planning is similar. Recognizing this,
the challenge is clear; to be successful in creating our community vision, we
must:
Be
Proactive We
need to act without external prodding. We must ask ourselves first—"What
do we want our community to be?" At the Institute of the North Coast, we
believe there is a much higher level of community consensus than is portrayed
through the media and local "myth and folklore."
Be
Inclusive The
public will always be involved in community decision making. How they will involve
themselves depends on the process. Any planning process, whether it be for land
use planning or welfare reform, must be open early to all of those who affect
or are affected by the outcome of the process.
Take
Time to Do It Right
Nothing stifles creativity and motivation faster than rushing a group of people
through a process. Imagine if great artists were required to produce three paintings
per day. Community planning should receive no less attention to detail.
Measure
ProgressUnfortunately,
we often ignore or are not motivated to include one of the more important pieces
of planning, accurately measuring our success. Evaluation of programs frequently
focuses on "process" measurements, rather than "outcomes"
measurements.
Finally,
we all must remember that we cannot do this alone. It is true that a single individual
or organization can provide the leadership needed to inspire a broad-based community
vision. But ultimately, it takes the commitment of all of our community to ensure
success—having a community vision that reflects the community's interest
and having the commitment of our citizens to achieve it.
© 1998
Gregg Foster, Institute of North Coast | 
