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May 23, 2004'Visioning' project looks for public inputSome residents take wait-and-see approach"Visioning is a process in which people build consensus on a description of their preferred future - the set of conditions they want to see realized over time."- From the Consensus Building Handbook By Record-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - West side resident Bill Fernandez has a modest "vision" for the Traverse City area. He envisions a city with quiet, walkable streets, where businesses and residents work together on quality-of-life issues like traffic, growth and protecting the environment. But right now he sees a region struggling with those areas, with more congestion and development bleeding into neighborhoods in and around the city. "I think we've got to have more concern about issues like that," he said. "I see the town as more than just commerce. I'd like to see the day where residential and quality of life issues are on equal footing with business and business-related development." Fernandez may have an unlikely ally in the Traverse City Convention and Visitors Bureau, which has tapped one of the world's leading community design experts to initiate a comprehensive "visioning" project for the Traverse City region. Consultant William McDonough will begin that process with a keynote address at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Grand Traverse Resort that's open to the public, followed by a day of community planning in small-group "charette" discussions with invited citizens and local leaders. Bureau director Deborah Knudsen says it's things like the region's historic neighborhoods, natural resources and small-town character that fuel the region's tourism engine - and that protecting those features is both good for residents and for business. "We're starting to lose some of those things ... we're in a town that could easily go in the wrong direction if we don't determine what's the right way to go," Knudsen said. Communities across the country have successfully used "visioning" projects to create increased economic development, more recreational opportunities, upgrade transportation systems and even improve race relations. "It's about how we really step back and allow ourselves to think about problems in different ways," said Diane Dale, a community design expert in McDonough's firm. She's done much of the preliminary planning for his visit, meeting with area planners who will help facilitate the charettes and the 23-member steering committee working on the project over the past several months. The city of Chattanooga, Tenn., reversed decades of urban decline and stagnant growth with a "visioning" effort that began in the 1980s. It helped transform the city into a tourist destination and a major retail center by revitalizing the downtown area, cleaning up years-old industrial pollution and building new recreation facilities. Specific projects included construction of a world-class aquarium, a public park along the river, installing electric buses in the city and creating an organization to build and promote affordable housing. Communities have traditionally approached problem-solving by local officials making preliminary decisions based on input from interested parties and experts and then taking it to the public - often limiting citizens to a "yes" or "no" response. "Visioning" generates various viewpoints before major decisions are on the table - so local officials have a better idea of public opinion before tackling a big community issue. Organizers say citizen participation is key to making the process work. In Chattanooga, more than 2,000 residents participated in two rounds of meetings - generating more than 2,500 suggestions on how to improve their region. And while public involvement is a linchpin in the process, local officials also need the political will to follow through on the community's goals. "We can't do this for the community," Dale said. "If you go to any successful process, you can point to the leadership for getting it done." Organizers have high hopes for McDonough's work, although some residents are taking a wait-and-see approach. "You start getting tired of all these charettes and studies," said Old Town Neighborhood president Barb Rishel. She says her neighbors have successfully used the "visioning" model in her neighborhood. But she questions whether this effort will have enough grass-roots involvement, or whether it will be a "top-down" study created by local bureaucrats that's headed for a dusty shelf. Fernandez has similar concerns. "I think the idea is good," he said. "But you wonder how many changes are really going to be implemented." Knudsen said if McDonough's efforts here can replicate the success he's had in other communities, local leaders from across the country will be heading to northern Michigan to learn how it's done. "Traverse City has the ability to be a shining example in Michigan of how to do this right," she said. "This is our time."
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