Planning for Ideal
If time travel were possible and we could see Owasso fifty years from now, what would our community look like? Some will imagine a city that is safe and clean with tree lined boulevards, public art, and well maintained homes and buildings. Others will see a city with stunning parks, and gathering places where individuals and families can enjoy recreational and entertainment opportunities from youth sports and nature trails, to amphitheaters and museums. And yet others will have a vision of an environmentally conscientious community where “Green” standards in building, transportation and waste management are a significant objective. When combined, these distinctive ideals paint an image of a great city.
Owasso has realized significant growth in recent years by developing a strong retail base and attractive, affordable housing opportunities. Additionally, significant improvements in streets, public safety, water and wastewater infrastructure have set Owasso on a course that will carry it forward for many years. Yet, the biggest challenges for Owasso do not come in the next few years, but further into the future as our children become adults and are facing a decision about remaining in Owasso to raise their family. It comes twenty years down the road as the retailers we’ve attracted determine if Owasso is still vibrant enough to make renewing leases a profitable decision. And it comes when the people who choose to live in Owasso do so because this is a community with a quality of life that enables them to live, work and play close to home.
Great creations can stand the test of time to be enjoyed by future generations, if properly planned and implemented. Cathedrals of Europe provide examples of great structures whose completion spanned several generations of leaders, often over hundreds of years. The original creators did not let the length and scope of these projects deter them from planning and laying the foundational stones for these great structures. These works were intended for future generations, thus making the journey to completion worthy of the effort.
As City leaders contemplate the future needs and desires of a thriving community, it becomes critical to develop a planning process that will place Owasso on the right path for great results and address challenges yet to come. Planning for Ideal is a process the City has established to use in creating a shared vision for our community and outlining the steps necessary to achieve goals that leaders both present and future can follow to realize the great results set forth in the original vision. This approach will help ensure Owasso’s continued success for many generations.
Planning for Ideal allows leaders of today, along with citizens, stakeholders, and future leaders, to set a path toward achieving significant long term goals. When the right plan is developed with community buy-in, it not only enables future leaders to follow that course, but compels them to continue toward completion.
Planning for Ideal consists of three components.
1. Accurately assessing the current situation.
2. Creating a shared vision, or ideal plan for the future.
3. Stepping backward from the vision to the present to develop the process for reaching Ideal.
Assessing the current situation involves taking all factors of an issue into consideration. It is important to objectively measure the existing condition, first, before creating the ideal vision for that situation. Once the current status has been established, it is imperative that the community and City staff work together to create a shared vision for the future. The Quality of Life initiative, recently approved by the City Council, is an example of an initiative that will implement the first critical steps in planning ideal solutions for Owasso. It is vital for citizens to participate in this process to create a comprehensive shared vision. In creating a long term vision for our community, it is important to stretch the imagination and consider possibilities beyond current resources and funding. If we only dream of what we can currently afford to accomplish, by the time we achieve it, we will have outgrown it.
After the shared vision has been established, it is important to develop the steps necessary to accomplish the desired results by starting at the end. Working from the vision backward to the current situation allows all factors to be considered and creates a roadmap to achieving the vision. This roadmap is one that can easily be followed by future leaders and citizens to continue toward achieving the ideal. If we fail in this and work from the current situation to the vision, it is likely we will settle for a goal much less than ideal because current limitations become roadblocks that we cannot imagine surmounting.
We may not know exactly what Owasso will look like fifty years from now, but through public collaboration and implementing the Planning for Ideal process, current leaders can set the foundational stones that future leaders will follow to achieve great results to last many generations, and ensure the continued success of Owasso.
Feedback from readers is welcomed. If you wish to contact the City Manager regarding this blog, send an email to cmanager@cityofowasso.com.