Just promise me one thing: When this is over, let’s try something. Anything.
Next week, the city kicks off ReThink London, a year-long conversation about the city’s future that will inform its new 20-year master plan. It’s the latest attempt to reinvent the Forest City, and seemingly the umpteenth such community effort since I moved here only three years ago.
On paper, ReThink looks fun and creative. Most impressively, there appears to be some effort at outreach beyond the usual suspects who dominate the decision-making in this community. (Hopefully, Mayor Joe will go outside the old boys club if another song needs to be penned.)
I want this to work. I really do.
But seriously, how many times can we talk about what we want London to be? When do we get to do something?
I have yet to fall in love with London, but I root for and defend her often. But London can be a fickle, frustrating and fragile beast. As a city, it has a bottomless inferiority complex.
To be honest, the city doesn’t need to press the reset button, but simply decide who it is and embrace that. It’s hard to plan for where you want to be tomorrow if you have no idea where you are today.
We have wonderful medical, educational and creative roots. But we keep looking for something else.
So if the city feels we need to ReThink London yet again, and take another agonizing year in doing so, then we need some guarantee of actions on the other side.
My worry? Actions take leadership. Not that vague notion of leadership as some sort of intangible trait, mind you. I am talking about stiff-spined, thick-skinned, I-don’t-care-how-we’ve-done-it-before leadership.
London struggles with that.
The input process is great, and far be it for a guy who works inside a university to downplay the importance of process. But eventually we’ve got to do something with all that data.
Perhaps I am too impatient. Consultation works. But leadership is knowing when to stop the conversation and make a decision. Most of that blame for participation paralysis falls at the feet of the city’s elected leaders. They are the ones who can pull the trigger.
But it is far easier to brainstorm and visualize than it is to actually do something. You get in less trouble when the ideas are only on a white board or website.
Sure, everyone wants more greenspace; but it takes political courage to stand up to the developers who seem to have the run of the city. Everyone wants a busy downtown; but it takes political courage to press businesses to stay open after 5 p.m. Everyone wants more modern transit; but it takes political courage to confront the forces of ‘we’ve never done it that way.’
Keep in mind, ReThinking is more than gathering ideas. It’s doing something with them once you get them.