Stimulating civic change in metropolitan regions

A NEW PARADIGM OF LEADERSHIP

STIMULATING CIVIC CHANGE IN METROPOLITAN

REGIONS Increasing1 y, metropol itan Communities are recognizing the

importance and potential of multi-juvisdic t ional, participatory planning. The experiences of the Atlanta and Oklahoma City regions dramatize the value of broad inclusion and partnerin

across sectors. Diverse participation also aids in mobilizing t e resources and institutions needed for implementation.

a

any communities have discov- ered that the exercise of citi- M zen-based strategic planning

can bring individuals, organizations and sectors together in ways that foster greater unity and build future problem-solving capacity. But can similar unity of purpose and vision be achieved in metropolitan regions, where economic development, service-delivery and land-use concerns vary widely with socio-economic status and racial and ethnic diversity? Do shared challenges and concerns constitute a sufficient basis for developing a common regional agenda?

The experiences of Metropolitan

Atlanta and Central Oklahoma suggest that metro areas can indeed work together in setting broad goals and satisfy- ing shared needs. In both cases, existing regional planning organizations - recognizing that leadership institutions and decision-making practices had failed to evolve as rapidly and fully as the communities they served - convened bold new processes of cross-sectoral and inter-community needs assessment and problem solving. Through an emphasis on inclusion, these communities have im- planted a new ethic of citizen participation and collaboration, laying a strong foundation for civic renewal.

NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW SUMMER-FALL 1995 225


STIMULATING CIVIC CHANGE IN METROPOLITAN REGIONS

A COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR CHANGE IN ATLANTA

BY HARRY WEST In 1991, the Atlanta Regional Commis- sion (ARC), the official planning agency for the ten-county Atlanta Region, wrote a prospectus outlining a new way of planning for our community. The project would be called VISION 2020. Looking back at that simple document, I now know that we were not fully cognizant of the immense commitment this kind of effort would take or how we would all be transformed by it.

The VISION 2020 process involved first creating a shared vision for the ten- county Atlanta Region through the year 2020, and then developing a collaborative approach to formulate action plans and make the vision a reality. The capstone of the four-year project is a set of key initiatives focusing on critical issue areas for the future, produced with the involvement of thousands of ci tizens. These initiatives are captured in a report called “VISION 2020: A Community’s Vision Takes Flight,” and symbolize ad- vances in regional leadership and coop- erative spirit that portend well for both ARC and the Atlanta Region.

The Genesis of VISION 2020. VISION 2020 recognizes that the face of leadership has changed drastically in Atlanta and throughout America. The Atlanta Region ranks as one of thenation’s most successful economic centers with excellent prospects for the future. His- torically, Atlanta’s success has been driven by a strong sense of community purpose. During the 1960s and earlier, a

small group of influential business leaders based in downtown Atlanta were able to rally the entire community around bold initiatives to take Atlanta to the next visionary plateau. Public officials, executives and civic leaders worked together to make Atlanta ”the city too busy to hate,” a major league city, and the world’s next international city. During the 1970s, and the 1980s in particular, the region’spopulation and leadership structure were transformed by an influx of newcomers from diverse backgrounds. Economic power centers became more dispersed throughout the 3,000 square- mile Atlanta Region.

In the late 1980s the Atlanta Re- gional Commission faced a series of con- troversial issues, ranging from a plan for a second airport to proposals for stronger growth management. It became clear that the region’s residents did not share a common vision of the future and that the region’s splintered leadership too often acted at cross-purposes.

Beyond these pressing problems, the Commission recognized that new and emerging societal, economic and techno- logical trends were transforming thevery fabric of regional communities across America. This new era, vastly different from the past, renders many old assump- tions obsolete. Now and in the future, innovation, collaboration and inclusion are cardinal to meeting the growing challenges and opportunities facing the nation’s urban centers.

As a regional planning body composed primarily of key elected officials, ARC leadership recognized that the or-

226 * SUMMER-FALL 1995 NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW


ganization had gone about as far as it could alone. Others in the community from the business, civic and nonprofit sectors had to be engaged in a common quest to achieve the kind of positive change needed to maintain our region’s competitive edge.

John Parr, former president of the National Civic League (NCL), once told me he thought we were so ambitious in our desire to include folks, that we should change our name to “The Atlanta Re- gional commission of Everybody.”

PhaseI-CreatingA Shared Com- munity Vision. Initially, VISION 2020 focused on creating a shared community vision for the development of the ten- county Atlanta Region through the year 2020. This first phase involved two years of intensive research and unprecedented community outreach by ARC and itscom- munity partners.

A critical first step was to secure commitment from a key regional leader to champion the VISION 2020 effort. We found a dedicated leader in former Geor- gia Governor George Busbee, who agreed to chair a VISION 2020 Steering Commit- tee and personally recruit its members. Then, inOctober of 1991, ARC contracted with a public relations firm to assist with initial communications support materi- als and strategies for the VISION 2020 project.

Governor Busbee and other members of the Steering Committee were in- strumental in helping ARC secure fund- ing for the exceptional costs of VISION 2020. ARC contributed all staff resources as part of related projects financed with

local dues. In early 1992, the Georgia Power Company Foundation contributed a start-up grant of $75,000 to VISION 2020. Subsequently, the Robert W. Woo- druff Foundation (Coca-Cola) awarded a grant of $625,000 to carry Phase I to completion.

To begin the process, ARC engaged an independent research firm, the Re- search Division of Ketchum Public Rela- tions in New York, to conduct a Delphi Survey of regional and national experts on a variety of critical issues and trends relevant to the long-term development of the Atlanta Region.

In May of 1992, ARC’S OUTLOOK ‘92 Conference, the first public event to showcase VISION 2020, attracted over 800 public and private leaders from the Atlanta Region, more than double the number attending the conference in prior years. With a theme of ”Creating a Vi- sion for Our Future,” Outlook ’92 released the results of the Delphi Survey and featured keynote speaker Glen Heimstra, a leading futurist and consultant in strategic change from Seattle. He made a compelling case for the power and importance of vision and challenged attendees to create their preferred future for the Atlanta Region.

During the summer of 1992, the VISION 2020 Steering Committee worked with others in the community, including the Regional Leadership Institute, the ARC board of directors, local planning directors, and city and county managers and finance directors, to develop draft ”future statements.” This work outlined what might happen if the region didnoth-




ing to change its current course, and what it could become with ambitious in- tervention.

On October 30, over 500 citizens from throughout the Atlanta Region - including elected officials, private citizens, business leaders, high school students, and experts from a variety of fields -attended a VISION 2020 Regional

As a regional planning body

composed primarily of key elected officials, ARC

leadership recognized that the organization had gone about as far

as it could alone. Congress. The purpose of the Congress was to bring together a cross-section of the region’s citizens to react to the initial future statements and to begin buildinga vision for the future. Attendance, interest and participation exceeded all expec- tations. Those present were engaged in lively and thoughtful discussions in both plenary and break-out sessions focused on different aspects of the region’s future. The Regional Congress and most of the earlier meetings of the Steering Com- mittee and other groups were facilitated by the Institute of Community and Area Development at the University of Geor- gia.

Phase I-Community Outreach. In October of 1992, ARC selected the local public relations firm of Pringle Dixon Pringle to help carry out the heart of the VISION 2020 project, a public outreach campaign to involve the entire regional community in creating a shared vision of the future. Their services included a great deal of pro-bono work they and their subcontractors committed to VI- SION 2020.

The public outreach campaign, which ran from Janu- ary to May of 1993, was targeted at informing citizens about their future options and alerting them to the opportunity to help mold the future of their region. A VISION 2020 Speaker’s Bu- reau was created which delivered more than 100 pre- sentations to civic, community, business, and govern-

ment organizations, including public housing tenant associations and homeless shelters. A series of 23 community forums were held in strategic locations throughout the Region. These forums provided over 2,000 citizens an opportunity for direct involvement in formulat- ing their vision for the future.

A live, televised town-hall meeting was broadcast during prime time on WAGA-TV, a local network affiliate, to hundreds of thousands of viewers, with 300 citizens participating in the studio audience and two satellite locations around the region. Other activities included a special VISION 2020 program involving hundreds of youth through Junior Achievement, billboards, radio and television interviews, and public ser- \?ice announcements. Local business and civic leaders authored a series of seven guest editorials on VISION 2020 issues that were published by the Atlanta lozir- rinl n r d Constitiitiori.

In March, following the town-hall meeting and the editorial series, a special newspaper supplement and public opin-

228 SUMMER-FALL 1995 NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW


ion survey ran in the Sunday Atlanta Journaland Constitution, and in two other languages in three other newspapers: the Chinese World Journal, Mtindo Hispa’nico, and the Atlanta Tribune. Combined, these newspapers reached over 1.5 million people with information exploring the issues and decisions facing the region. The survey was delivered with the supplement in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution’s REACH edition, targeted to non-subscribers. Copies were also delivered directly to hard-to-reach audi- ences, including non-English-speaking citizens and homeless persons.

The community’s investment in this first phase in cash and pro-bono contributions totalled over $2 million, not counting the donation of literally thousands of hours of time.

The Shared Vision Unveiled. All of the data, ideas, and suggestions re- ceived through this massive outreach effort were carefully studied and synthesized to create a report, entitled A Shared Vision for the Atlanta Region. It was unveiled at ARC’s OUTLOOK ‘93 Confer- ence, which attracted about 1,200 business, civic and government leaders.

The most stunning discovery of Phase I was the common values shared by regional citizens from different cultures and income levels. Generally, all people are interested in the same basics for their families and communities. These simple, but profound elements include the need for a sense of personal safety, a strong educational system, job opportunities, a clean environment, cooperation among governments, chambers of com-

merce and other institutions, and har- mony among people of different races and cultures.

Finally, after months of outreach efforts and comments from thousands of citizens of the Atlanta Region, A Shared Visionfor the Atlanta Region was complete and ready for its unveiling at ARC’s OUTLOOK ’93 Conference in May of 1993. Here, the shared vision for the Atlanta Region’s development into the 21st century was released publicly through a video presentation as well as the printed report.

Futurist Glen Heimstra again ad- dressed the OUTLOOK participants, this time in a video message, encouraging them to help take part in making the vision a reality. He congratulated the region on completing the monumental task of developing a vision, but reminded the crowd that the really hard work was still ahead - implementation.

Phase 11-Making the Vision a Reality. The primary emphasis of Phase I was to give all people in the Atlanta Region some opportunity to voice their opinions, hopes and dreams about the future. That was no easy feat, since the Atlanta Region’s ten counties and 3,000 square miles are home to almost 3 million people.

Building a shared vision for future development is an unusual and laudable accomplishment. However, bringing life to that vision is the truly difficult part. The purpose of Phase I1 was to involve a diverse cross-section of the community in creating initiatives and action steps, as well as generating community buy-in to

NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW


STIMULATING CIVIC CHANCE IN METROPOLITAN REGIONS

take that vision to reality. als were selected for each of the ten Initi- ARC returned to the foundation ating Committees based on their diverse

and corporate community to fund this perspectives on each issue area. The second phase, and was successful due to issues covered the spectrum, including the hard work and community involve- Diversity, Economic Development, Edu- ment exercised in Phase I. We found cation, Environment, Governance, great interest in the business community, because they appreciated the value of visioning and long-range planning. The Woodruff Foundation offered VISION 2020 a generous donation and a challenge grant in early 1994 to carry out the second phase of the project. By the end of 1994, that grant was matched by corporate contributions from Georgia Power, UPS, NationsBank, Wachovia and several other of the Region’s many good corporate citizens.

We then began to look around the country for a good model to use to begin the implementation of our community’s vision. We found it with the National Civic League. In June of 1993, ARC spon-

Health, Housing, Human Services, Pub- lic Safety, and Transportation.

Chris Gates, current president of NCL, joined us in January of 1994 for a VISION 2020 Breakfast at the Atlanta History Center to kick off the work of the ten Initiating Committees. Gates ex- plained NCL’s model and how it is stra- tegically directed at bringing diverse perspectives and intellect from all areas of the community to bear on building better communities.

Over a period of four to five months, the ten committees adapted the NCL model to deal most effectively with local views and concerns about their specific issue areas. They also identified and

sored three two-day sessions for 150 key regional leaders on community collaboration training. The training, led by NCL staff, was intended to prepare a core group of people to help begin the implementation process through

recruited about 100 people from throughout the Atlanta Region to serve on each one of ten Community Collaboratives charged with examining the region’s vision and creating action plans.

The OUTLOOK ’94 Con- collaboration and cooperation.

With this as a starting point, the VISION 2020 Steering Committee began work on Phase I1 in the fall of 1993 by establishing Ini- tiating Committees around ten key issue areas identified as critical to the region’s future. Ten to 15 individu-

We found great interest in the

business community, because they

appreciated the value of visioning and

long-range planning.

ference, held in May, launched the work of the collaboratives and released ARC’S 2020 baseline forecasts for population and jobs. The community would now have a chance to alter those forecasts through “ trend - b end i n g ” action plans. By June, the ten VI- SION 2020 collabortatives



were formed and began their year-long task of determining what barriers must be removed and what actions were critical to achieving the Atlanta Region’s shared vision for the future. Nearly 1,000 citizens met at least once a month, some- times more often, to finish this critical work.

To supplement the advice and training provided by NCL, ARC contracted with a local firm, Leadership Strat- egies, Inc., to help manage the process, train ARC staff and community volunteers in facilitation, and provide a core group of professionals to serve as lead facilitators of the VISION 2020 Collaboratives.

Leadership is the single most important factor we found in ensuring the success of the community collaborative process. The Initiating Committees recognized this by carefully selecting and recruiting widely respected leaders who could provide strong, inclusive leadership to the process by chairing the Collaboratives. The Chairs’ official du- ties went beyond merely chairing meetings to include meeting planning and development, adjusting the process as needed, and encouraging outreach and research efforts.

While they worked, the VISION 2020 Collaboratives reached out to the larger community to check their work, refine their directions, and continue to build civic will for needed changes. Out- reach included speaking engagements, community forums, guest editorials and many other activities.

Another Regional Congress was

held in February of 1995 toreport progress and involve the larger community. WAGA-TV again produced and aired a live television town-hall meeting to discuss critical issues facing youth in the future. The Education Collaborative involved every school in the Atlanta Re- gion in a project called ”The Future Through Young Eyes.” Young people discussed the future and contributed art, poetry, essays, and videos depicting the kind of world they envisioned in the next century.

On Sunday, June 25,1995, a special 16-page newspaper supplement called “The Regional Dialogue” appeared in the Atlanta Jotirnal and Constitution. The supplement focused on VISION 2020, the Regional Leadership Institute and joint efforts by United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta to involve citizens in creating a great future. It featured a second public opinion survey to test ideas emerging from the deliberations of the collaboratives.

The special insert was a gift to the community provided by a partnership of the Atlanta Jotimal and Constitution, the Clayton News Daily (a suburban daily), and Southeast Newsprint. It was the first time that two competing newspapers had partnered for a joint community-service project of such scale. Southeast News- print donated the41 tons of paper needed to print “The Regional Dialogue.” The supplement and survey, which reached hundreds of thousands of regional citizens, represented pro-bono contribu tions of over $300,000 in services, newsprint and donated space.



STIMULATING CIVIC CHANCE IN METROPOLITAN REGIONS

Bringing It All Together. It became apparent early on that the ten VI- SION 2020 Collaboratives would need to address the cross-cutting and duplica- tive issues they shared. In late spring of 1995, a ”pow-wow” of leaders from each Collaborative was held to synthesize the work of all ten. Eleven major sets of actions emerged from the VISION 2020 Collaborative process. These groups of initiatives address everything from the relationship between transportation and land use to arts and culture.

The synthesized initiatives of all ten VISION 2020 collabora tives were pre- sented at a VISION 2020 Celebration Breakfast held in June of 1995. As a small token of appreciation, participants were given VlSION 2020 lapel pins at the Cel- ebration Breakfast. They wear them proudly to signify the work accomplished and to remind the community of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

The Celebration Breakfast inaugu- rated a group of Action Planning Teams formed to work through July of 1995 to put the final touches on the 11 sets of initiatives. The initial work of the Action Planning Teams was completed on sched- ule, and framework plans are in place for a total of 41 initiatives.

The final VISION 2020 report was released on September 8 at ARC’s 1995 OUTLOOK Conference, held once again at the INFORUM in downtown Atlanta. A new report, A Coi7znzzii1ify’s Vision Trzkes Flight ... VlSlON 2020: Key ltiitiatizles tbr the Futzrue, gives public and private leaders and citizens a clear and “doable” plan of action for achieving the Atlanta

Region’s true potential. Lessons learned. ARC’s OIJILCOK

Conference served as a beginning for long-term, positive change in the Atlanta Region. Moreover, it recognized key agencies and corporations that are coming forward to take the lead on specific initiatives. What happens now represents the true test of VISION 2020’seffec- tiveness.

VISION 2020 has precipitated sys- temic change in our region’s decision- making style. It is helping to build a new civic infrastructure in the Atlanta Re- gion. This effort has endeavored to tap the vision, energy and commitment to excellence that every community has. Through VISION 2020 the community has begun work on a set of benchmarks against which we can measure how well the vision is performing. The VISION 2020 action initiatives must remain flex- ible as conditions change, and opportunities for updates are included in the long-range plan.

VISION2020 has produced a cadre of citizens and leaders committed to stretching the envelope and making this community the best it can be. People are talking to people whom they never dreamed they would talk to. Relation- ships are forming that must be developed to compete cohesively in the global marketplace.

Most critical of all, however, is to make good on the civic contract we have struck with the citizens of this region: “Where ever the Atlanta Region goes, we go together.” Wecan never go back to the old ways again.



REGIONAL LEADERSHIP AT WORK IN

CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BY ZACH TAYLOR

Modern transportation, computer technology and commerce are just some of the forces that havevirtually erased community boundaries in the day-to-day life of most American citizens. Likewise, environmental, social and economic challenges that once were tackled individu- ally by communities today span munici- pal borders and call for regional responses.

Like never before, regional councils of governments are poised to bring decades of experience in regional planning and coordination to the table to help lead cities and towns in identifyingcross- community challenges and coordinating effective cross-community solutions. That regional leadership is exactly what the Association of Central Okla- homa Governments contributed to Central Oklahoma 2020, a regional strategic planning effort unprecedented in the state.

The Association of Central Oklahoma Govern- ments (ACOG) is the largest of Oklahoma’s 11 regional councils and represents a four-county area with more than 900,000 people in 35 cities and towns. Councils of governments were formed throughout America in the mid-1960s and today number more than 600. Such councils were designed to

NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW

aid local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit and coordinating for sound regional development.

Partnership for Our Regional Fu- ture. Along with Leadership Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, ACOG initiated the year- long Central Oklahoma 2020 strategic planning effort in May of 1993, and we continue to help lead implementation of the 12 regional initiatives that were created through the 2020 process.

The Central Oklahoma 2020 project grew out of a belief that progress in Cen- tral Oklahoma would take place only when each community, each neighborhood and each person came together to take responsibility as a region for our shared future.

As ACOG executive director, I had

Modern transportation,

computer technology and

commerce are just some of the forces that have virtually erased community boundaries in the day-to-day life of most American

citizens.

the privilege of serving with approximately 90 other citizens from throughout the region as a 2020 stakeholder. Together we car- ried responsibility for leading the effort. Stakeholders met every three weeks for almost a year and included corporate executives, retir- ees, elected officials, educators, civic volunteers, small business owners, immi- grants from other nations, and life-long Oklahomans.

Funded by private contributions, Central Oklahoma 2020 employed an executive director, a part-time

SUMMER-FALL 1995 233



secretary and a consultant from the Na- tional Civic League, but every other par- ticipant was a volunteer.

The project was aimed at accom- plishing four goals: first, to work with citizens from throughout the region to create a shared vision of what an ideal Central Oklahoma would be like in the year 2020; second, to set specific goals that would help our regional community realize that vision; third, to outline actions the Central Oklahoma community must take to achieve those goals; and fourth, to set such actions in motion to move our region toward our shared vision.

Dozens of additional volunteers joined stakeholders to serve on working committees. The outreach committee, for example, was responsible for publicizing and organizing community meetings, gathering public comments, drafting a final report for approval by stakeholders, and planning a regional kick-off celebration, among other tasks.

To ensure that the visioning and planning process accurately reflected a variety of citizens’ views, Central Okla- homa 2020 participants organized cre- ative ways for citizens to participate. The outreach committee gathered information about citizens’ priorities, concerns and hopes through several town meetings, community surveys and a children’s poster and essay contest.

Also, stakeholders sought comments and suggestions from a variety of community groups representing seniors, college students, art lovers, large and small businesses, educators, neighbor-

hoods, minority businesses, clergy, Afri- can-Americans, Asian-Americans, His- panics, Native Americans, health care professionals, nonprofit organizations, chambers of commerce, and state and local governments.

The research committee -consist- ing largely of staff from ACOG and the Community Council of Central Okla- homa -was responsible for researching and providing data to help fuel the discussions and decisions of 2020 participants. Participants relied on a range of information, including U.S. Census data and expert findings in such areas as business, economic development, criminal justice, social services, health, and education.

Of course, efforts of the scale of Central Oklahoma 2020 would not be possible without adequate financial back- ing. In the case of 2020, such support came from community foundations, private organizations and individuals committed to improving the quality of life of people in Central Oklahoma. In addition to donated funds, the budget called for a significant amount of in-kind contributions. ACOG offered in-kind support in the form of staff time, information resources and facilities for small-group meetings.

There are many other examples of such support. For instance, Cable News Network (CNN) produced and taped former President Jimmy Carter making a presentation specifically for 2020 participants and Central Oklahomans; local businesses donated thousands of dollars worth of paper and printing; area hotels



provided accommodations for out-of- town speakers and consultants; two local cable television stations taped and broadcast stakeholder and community meetings; and a local community college donated meeting facilities, refreshments and presentation equipment for regular stakeholder meetings and a town meeting.

Ours i s a Vision of Great Promise. Our early discussions during stakeholder meetings focused on creating a vision statement that would describe in broad terms the way Cen- tral Oklahomans wanted their regional community to beintheyear2020.Thestate- ment, hammered out over a period of weeks, went through several redrafts until participants felt it accurately reflected the priorities and hopes they heard hundreds of citizens express in surveys and small-group meetings.

“We are of many col- ors, religions, ages and cultures,” begins the statement. “We are from small cities and towns, traditional rural

ebrating ethnic and cultural diversity, to bolstering economic development and tackling environmental issues, tenets of the vision statement were designed to capture the essence of the community’s dreams.

Narrowing the Focus. With the vision statement as a constant guide, we

From fostering the well-being of children and

celebrating ethnic and cultural diversity, to

bolstering economic development and

tack1 ing environmental

issues, tenets of the vision statement were designed to

capture the essence of the community’s

dreams.

areas and cosmopolitan communities. More powerful than our diversity, though, is our shared vision of what our region can become.”

The statement goes on to describe almost a dozen areas that citizens were most interested in addressing. From fostering the well-being of children and cel-

set out to identifykey areas that the community would need to focus on in coming years to create the Central Oklahoma that citizens envisioned.

Choosing such areas was perhaps the most laborious part of the entire planning effort. Stakeholders and other participants started with a list of more than 25 areas and, with the help of citizens at open community meetings, eventually pared it down to only five key areas most of us agreed were at the crux of almost all com- ponents of the vision: economic development, education, “enviro-structure” (environment and infrastructure), family, and regional governance.

Next, committees assigned to address each of these areas were charged with proposing specific, detailed initiatives that would foster significant, region-wide progress in that area and move Central Oklahoma toward becoming the community described in the vision statement.



STIMULATING Crvrc CHANGE IN METROPOLITAN REGIONS

Together, stakeholders reviewed, questioned, considered, and voted on proposed initiatives. Those plans that garnered by far the greatest level of support in each of the five key areas became the fruit of the Central Oklahoma 2020 process - the 12 initiatives that were to become the focus of community efforts.

Challenges of a New Approach. Throughout the process, 2020 participants faced and overcame numerous challenges. For instance, early on, we de- cided that tobesuccessful, the effort must be honest, free of hidden or pre-set agen- das, open, and inclusive. Upon announc- ing such goals, we faced skepticism from area citizens asked to take part in the venture. Rather than directly confront- ing such skeptics, we stakeholders set out to denzonstrute our sincerity.

Persistent efforts to involve all parts of the Central Oklahoma community included open and well publicized monthly meetings, which also were taped and broadcast on the area cable television systems; three large community meetings in different geographic areas; a speakers bureau; regular contact with area media, especially the region’s largest daily newspapers; a community survey; and dozens of meetings of small groups representing specific popula tions.

Another challenge involved get- ting 2020 participants to set aside territorialism and think regionally. In- formation was the antidote. Together we explored the spectrum of new realities and difficulties facing area citizens and the ways in which such difficulties and their solutions span city and county bor-

ders. Over time, participants developed an understanding of the need to think and plan regionally.

Overcoming such challenges re- quired cooperation, patience, hard work and sustained leadership, and the re- wards already are apparent for 2020 participants and for other citizens throughout the region. For instance:

Central Oklahoma 2020 helped community leaders and residents think in a broad, regional fashion, not only about challenges, but responses to challenges.

Central Oklahoma 2020 brought together, for the first time in many cases, leaders from all over Central Oklahoma, from mayors and business leaders, to parents and social services professionals. Such meetings nurtured new understand- ings and partnerships.

Central Oklahoma 2020 set a con- sensus-based course for our region, not just for the life of one project but for years to come. The project also created a living vision that can be updated to continue to reflect the evolving needs of Central Okla- homans.

Central Oklahoma 2020 gave birth to 12 specific initiatives designed to help our region become an extraordinary place to live. These initiatives include:

1. Strengthen Central Oklahoma families through neighborhood-based support systems.

2. Breakbarriers to using new educational approaches in our region, and continue to identify qualities of effective education that can be nurtured in Central Oklahoma elementary schools.

236 SUMMER-FALL 1995 NATIONAL CI\’IC REVIEW


3. Make Central Oklahoma safer by establishing one-stop, 24-hour juve- nile intake centers.

4. Boost economic growth in Cen- tral Oklahoma by working with telecommunications companies and others to complete a state-of-the-art fiberoptic telecommunications network and establish five high-tech resource centers.

5. Create a Central Oklahoma regional citizens league as an avenue for citizens to discuss, learn about and make public recommendations regarding regional issues they feel are important.

6. Establish a Central Oklahoma Regional Leadership Institute to develop business, nonprofit and local government partnerships that can pool resources to solve regional problems.

7. Establish a Central Oklahoma Mayors Round Table to offer area mayors opportunities to share information, coordinate activities and address challenges facing the region.

8. Help make Central Oklahoma clean and green by establishing a regional task force to coordinate environmental clean-up, enhancement and enforcement efforts.

9. Encourage establishment of a way to pay for maintaining and updating community facilities, such as water and sewer equipment, streets and public buildings.

10. Improve access to locations throughout the region and the quality of Central Oklahoma public transportation in two ways: first, by updating, merging and implementing our region’s numerous existing transportation-improvement

plans; and second, by promoting in- creased federal, state and local funds for transportation.

11. Support existing efforts and new legislation to ensure that Central Oklahomans have healthy air to breathe and are not subject to expensive penalties for violating federal clean air standards.

12. Develop and distribute a ”Qual- ity of Life Report Card” so Central Okla- homans can monitor progress in our community and make meaningful decisions to enhance our quality of life.

Early indications. Some benefits were apparent within months of completing the final report on the 2020 plan; others will take years. Among the initiatives already making significant head- way is the family initiative (initiative 1). Volunteers created a project called “Fami- lies First!,” and launched the first support site in spring 1995. They continue to work with World Neighbors, an international development organization, to implement locally a range of community-building techniques refined in developing nations across the globe.

Other volunteers have created the Citizens League of Central Oklahoma (initiative 5 ) . As of August, 1995, the organization had 150 members and had adopted a mission statement and bylaws, elected a board of directors, hosted a ”Founding Forum,” featuring speakers from the successful citizens leagues of Minneapolis-St. Paul and St. Louis, and had held its first annual business meeting.

ACOG has teamed with the Okla- homa City Chamber of Commerce to es-



STIMULATING CIVIC CHANGE IN METI<OPOLITAK REGIONS

tablish a Central Oklahoma Regional Leadership Institute (initiative 6). To- gether we are fine-tuning a leadership curriculum and completing an informa- tional brochure to inform and invite pro- spective participants.

The Central Oklahoma Mayors Round Table (initiative 7) already has convened several quarterly meetings in communities throughout the region. Leadership of the organization is shared: the mayor of the community in which a meeting is held serves as host of the meeting and presides over the evening's business. Guest speakers have discussed economic development, telecommunications opportunities and the welfare of Central Oklahoma's Tinker Air Force Base, among other topics.

The Clean & Green regional task force (initiative 8) has brought represen- tatives of four counties together to establish "trash cops" responsible for finding and fining people who are dumping their

trash rather than taking it to landfills. Lessons learned. Such progress

seems to bear out the final words of the Central Oklahoma vision: "To each other and those who follow, we promise to invest our resources - our time, our talents, our energy and our money - in making this vision, this home, a reality."

CONCLUSION The arduous task of plan implementation lies ahead for both the Atlanta Re- gion and Central Oklahoma. The prospects for success, however, are bright, due principally to the collaborative and participatory fashion in which the two communities' planning exercises were structured. A key lesson to be drawn from both regional communities is that feasible action plans must be developed using techniques that simultaneously build commitment and establish new re- lationships among diverse neighbors, organizations and institutions. h T


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Stimulating civic change in metropolitan regions