The Case for Visioning
The American Heritage Dictionary defines vision, in part, as
•
Unusual competence in discernment or perception, intelligent foresight
Unusual competence in discernment or perception, intelligent foresight•The manner in which one sees or conceives of something
The manner in which one sees or conceives of somethingThe First Coast/Northeast Florida, like all of Florida, is at a crossroads. It can grow as it has been growing, and address the consequences of growth after the fact. Congested roads, urban sprawl, infrastructure needs and environmental concerns are all issues that will need to be addressed if this path is taken. Alternatively, it can develop a vision for the region that will consider current trends, consider alternative scenarios for future growth and choose the path that the region’s growth will take. This kind of intelligent foresight will allow us to conceive of our own future and give us the steps we may take to make it happen, rather than let the future happen to us.
Answers to your Visioning Questions
What are some examples of visions?
Many parts of the United States have visions or are developing them. Click here for links that will take you to web pages of visioning efforts throughout the United States:
Nebraska: http://www.visioning2026.com
California: http://www.scag.ca.gov/livable/gvision.htm
Pennsylvania: http://www.upperdelaware.com/visioning/index.cfm
Washington State: http://www.psrc.org/projects/mtp
Why Vision at the Regional Level?
Regional visioning is under serious review in the State of Florida. It is analyzed by Dr. Tim Chapin, in his February 1, 2008 report for the Century Commission called “ A Coordinated, Statewide Regional Visioning Initiative for Florida” (http://www.centurycommission.org/current_projects.asp). It was also reviewed in a May 2007 study done by a partnership of 1000 Friends of Florida, the University of Florida, the University of Central Florida and the University of Pennsylvania called “An Alternative Future, Florida in the 21st Century 2020 2040 2060 (http://metrocenter.ucf.edu/files/penn_design.pdf). The Northeast Florida 2005 and 2060 maps associated with the trend analysis used in “An Alternative Future” are available on the Resources page (link) and they speak for themselves. According to Dr. Chapin, the three first components of a regional Vision are conservation, land use and transportation. These issues are not best left to either local or state planning. Local visioning has intrinsic value to local government and stakeholders but its scope of implementation is limited to local boundaries. Conservation, land use and transportation are three issues that cross over local boundaries and are inherently regional in nature. Alternatively, to leave visioning for those components to the State implies that “one size fits all” in Florida.
Why use the Regional Council?
Dr. Chapin proposes that, while there are other regional entities in Florida (Water Management Districts, Metropolitan Planning Organizations), “...Regional Planning Councils (RPCs) offer the best opportunity to develop and implement regional visions in Florida”. Regional Councils or Regional Planning Councils already exist as a platform for visioning, and they have statutory roles including the requirement of adopting Strategic Regional Policy Plans (SRPPs), which is a natural implementation mechanism for visioning. Dr. Chapin goes on to suggest that regional visioning should be required and funded by the state, and the Florida Regional Councils Association has proposed that state statute be revised to require regional visions, that such visions form the basis of the state comprehensive plan, and that consistency with regional visions be a requirement for state funding decisions.
Why a Regional Vision Now?
There is state-wide dialogue on the vision issue, as evidenced by the work of the 1000 Friends of Florida and the Century Commission and the studies on the subject that they have commissioned. Their work, as well as many other such efforts, indicate that growth trends may result in a future condition that would not be what we would have chosen, if we had a choice. We are undertaking practices that indicate that we want to make a choice, at least in some areas. There are green and low-impact building practices being discussed and implemented throughout the state and in Northeast Florida. The need for potable water has resulted in intra-regional discussions between Northeast and Central Florida. FDOT is studying transportation corridors that transverse regions. There are several local visioning efforts currently underway, as well as regional visioning efforts in various parts of the state.
What are other regions in Florida doing?
Click here for links that will take you to examples of regional visioning efforts throughout the state of Florida:
Central Florida/Orlando Area: http://www.myregion.org
Emerald Coast: http://consensus.fsu.edu/emeraldcoast/index.html
South Florida: http://www.visionbroward.org
Tampa: http://www.myonebay.com
Are there other benefits to visioning?
The act of visioning has its value not only in the production of a Vision, but in the support of the Vision by those who participated in its creation. People who participate may feel energized to continue to participate in civic issues, and they may feel invested in the implementation of the Vision. The act of visioning has, in addition, the potential that the word implies. It implies that citizens, decision-makers and stakeholders at all levels have the ability to imagine for themselves what kind of world they want to live in, that those imaginings result in something tangible, and that the Vision can result in decision making in the future based on consensus guiding principles determined as part of a visioning process
How will we Vision?
Both Dr. Chapin’s study and ‘An Alternative Future” each call for a well funded, coordinated statewide process. Should we wait for that to happen? The Northeast Florida Regional Council (NEFRC) believes that Northeast Florida should be able to choose its future, and that by waiting, we may miss opportunities. The Northeast Florida Regional Council has created the Regional Community Institute of Northeast Florida, Inc. to create First Coast Vision. The vision is to be provided to the NEFRC Board of Directors in advance of their consideration of an update to the Strategic Regional Policy Plan. The process was jump-started when NEFRC joined with Region First 2060 partners to put on Reality Check First Coast in May of 2009, a high profile visioning exercise involving 300 diverse leaders from around the First Coast. This was followed by County Check regional visioning exercises in each of the seven Northeast Florida counties, and by Generation Check and youth-only visioning exercise.
What steps do we anticipate in Visioning?
- Identify the current condition.
Our Approach: The Regional Community Institute has formed or will form Committees in the following issue areas:
1.Affordable Housing2.Economic Development3.Emergency Preparedness4.Health and Human Services5.Natural Resources6.TransportationThe Committees are working on the baseline state of the region and measures to track the progress of the region going forward. They are also working on the goals and objectives they believe should form the vision for the First Coast for the next 50 years. They are informed by the data that came of the Reality Check exercises as well as any data they share or receive from the public. (Visit forstcoastvision.com for ways to provide data, or comments, to them.)
- Identify the trends that may be observed when comparing the current condition to the past.
- Identify emerging trends that may shape the future.
Our Approach: The Committees are reviewing the issues and determining what data to track, and what trends the data shows. They will provide their recommendations to the RCI Board, who will release a baseline state of the region in 2010.
- Follow the trends to identify the future condition.
Our Approach: The Committees will review the baseline and discuss what will happen if trends continue.
- Determine the guiding principles that are valued by the community.
- Adjust the assumptions used to identify the future condition to take into account the
guiding principles. The alternative future condition is the Vision. Our Approach: The Urban Land Institute’s Reality Check is a participatory visioning exercise and an important tool available to engage regional leaders in a regional dialogue on growth issues. Reality Check First Coast in May of 2009 was a visioning exercise that allowed participants working in diverse groups of regional leaders to allocate expected growth on large scale regional maps. It is an exercise that asks the questions -- How should we grow? Where should we grow?
The Reality Check First Coast exercise identified the following Guiding Principles:
- Protect and conserve open spaces, agricultural lands and natural resources
- Promote compact and sustainable mixed-use development
- Provide mobility choices
- Promote infill development
- Promote economic vitality and competitiveness
- Capitalize on regional assets and promote community identity
When RCFC participants used their guiding principles to create a vision for growth for the next 50 years, they created four alternative growth patterns. When the patterns they created were compared to the trend of how we have been growing, we learned something exciting. All of the patterns they created used far less land than what would be required to grow as we have been growing. All of the patterns placed people and jobs in all of the counties of the region, allowing for a balance that could reduce commute times in the future. All of the patterns increased density in existing developed areas, which could lower costs for new infrastructure and make transit a viable option in the region. Even though the visions were different, the bottom line is the same: Choosing how we grow has the potential to save us and future residents of the First Coast region time and money, and we can plan our future to give more choices to ourselves, our children, and new residents and businesses.
After Reality Check First Coast, the visioning exercise was repeated in each County as County Checks, and with young people only, as Generation Check. Ultimately, about 500 people participated. Each was asked to think about where to grow, what principles should guide our growth, what barriers would need to be overcome to realize a vision, and what solutions could work for our region.
- Determine what needs to happen in order to achieve the Vision.
- Determine how we will implement the changes needed to get us there.
- Implement and track our progress.
Our Approach: The Regional Community Institute committees and staff of the Northeast Florida Regional Council are working to do public outreach about growth patterns and to gather public input about the future of the First Coast. The Committees are using all of the data and input they gather to create goals and objectives to be included in First Coast Vision. They also intend to create an image to describe the “alternative future” that is described in First Coast Vision. They are aiming for a completed vision by September 2011. The NEFRC Board will take First Coast Vision into account as it updates the Northeast Florida Strategic Regional Policy Plan. The RCI will continue to monitor the state of the region and to monitor our progress in achieving the goals of First Coast Vision.
What is our Short Term Tentative First Coast Vision Timeline?
Click here to see it.
What is our Long Term Tentative First Coast Vision Timeline?
Click here to see it.
If you have questions regarding the First Coast Vision
or want to get involved, contact:
Margo Moehring, Director of Strategic Initiatives
Northeast Florida Regional Council
6850 Belfort Oaks Place
Jacksonville, Florida, 32216
Telephone: 904 279 0885 X 161
E-mail: mmoehring@nefrc.org
