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"It is fundamentally a process of dreaming, exploring and creatingma means to give shape and direction to a community's thinking and view of itself so that human imagination and creativity can increase the influence of the future over the present as the basis for understanding and action." Do we understand what commu- nit), visioning really is? It is a process of actively exploring and anticipating the future and the challenges to be addressed. It also means developing consensus and having the discipline to implement that consensus without caving in to political expediency, one's own biases, or the pressures of specific groups and individuals whose agendas conflict with community consensus. Are our elected ojfficials, staff and community leaders comfortable sharing power with the community and citizens? Community visioning is a form of participatory democ- racy that harkens back to the original American democratic experience. It can, at times, be in conflict with representative government and its "representa- tives." The key is not to fear popular involvement but to use it to forge new citizen-elected official partnerships that expand a community's capacity to perceive and achieve. Can the community visioning process benefit our community, and do tee really understand the products and outcomes it will produce? There must be a clear expectation among all parties about the process that will be used, the roles of various players, and what the effort will produce; i.e., a vision statement, specific goals, and strategies and plans for attaining these goals. Is the community ready to dedicate the time and resources to do this community visioning process well? A community visioning process can take six to 18 months and involves an extensive time commitment from those involved. The process also requires static support, an adequate budget, ongoing community pubhcity and communications, and the services ora professional facilitator. Vision- ing is not a casual undertaking. It is intense, disciplined, time-consum- ing, hard ~vork aimed at producing rich rewards for the future. Are the council and other key groups publicly supportive and willing to participate? Communi- ties are comprised of many key groups--city government, school districts, chambers of commerce, business and civic organizations, major employers, neighborhood associations--all of whom play a role in creating, supporting and achieving the vision. All must be willing to embrace the process, or their resistance and non-participa- tion can hamper its success. Also, are any goups that have been in conflict with each other willing to explore the potential futures in a spirit of collaboration? Or will they just seize upon the visioning effort as another chance for further polarization and disruption? Is there a sense of stewardship that will continue the process and commitment to implementation? Community visioning and strategic planning frequently cover a period of 20 years and must be refined and updated regularly. Also, they transcend the term of office or tenure of many of the individuals involved in their initial creation. Successful visions require commit- ment to stewardship and ensuring successive generations of leaders who will continue the process, keep it current, and sustain its potential for creating a better future. The future of our communities requires a barn-raising, rather than a vending machine, mentaliw. Community visioning identi~es and produces the changes we must bring about in collaboration with others. These changes are essential to achieving the vision and future we want for our community, and for those individuals who wilt live some or the rest of their lives within it. ~,- Carl Neu is executive vice president and general manager of NEkV & Company, providing resources and services for government. Telephone: (303) 986-8487. This article excerpted with permission from the May-June 1998 issue 0fColorado Municipalities, a publication of the League qf Colorado Cities. "Community visioning identifies and produces the changes we must bring about in collaboration with others." AUGUST 199 6 MINNESOTA CITIES