{"id":332,"date":"2010-09-23T08:38:06","date_gmt":"2010-09-23T08:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leedscd.wordpress.com\/?p=332"},"modified":"2010-09-23T08:38:06","modified_gmt":"2010-09-23T08:38:06","slug":"what-if-leeds-carried-on-as-it-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2010\/09\/23\/what-if-leeds-carried-on-as-it-is\/","title":{"rendered":"What if Leeds carried on as it is..?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Leeds<\/a><\/p>\n

This is an interesting question asked on the What If Leeds.<\/a>…website (registration required before you can contribute)<\/p>\n

The underlying sense is that perhaps Leeds is fine. \u00a0We can just keep on keeping on. \u00a0Now I am sure that the sustainability crew would have a thing or two to say about that. \u00a0Interestingly they haven’t, yet. \u00a0As might those who don’t get to share in the benefits of living in the city, the poor and marginalised.<\/p>\n

But, change is <\/em><\/strong>inevitable, progress is not. \u00a0Leeds’ own Max McKeown<\/a> taught me that. \u00a0The art of strategy is about increasing the chances of progress being achieved, because change takes care of itself….<\/div>\n
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The real problem here is in the methodology that we use to try to think about change and ensure that it is progressive.<\/div>\n
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The current vision and plan methodology is, how can I put this, a little clunky. \u00a0A touch slow. \u00a0Impractical.<\/div>\n
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However if we write it off and do nothing then the usual suspects will maintain power so that they and their friends can order the city as they would like – some would say as \u00a0a big investment opportunity<\/a> to suck disposable income from a city region while providing the promise of good work and jobs for all.<\/div>\n
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We need a process for influencing strategy in the city that is a)continuous and b) gives everyone a voice and power in the process.<\/div>\n
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We need a market place of visions where we can choose to work towards as many or as few as each of us personally prefer. \u00a0We need to use visions to enable self-organisation, conversation and action. \u00a0Not to produce statutory documents. \u00a0We need personal visions of what progress means – not just a ‘city’ vision.<\/div>\n
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We should be thinking about how we continually facilitate a process of ’emergent change’<\/a> rather than a vision session every 5 years followed by decades of bureaucratic management in its pursuit. \u00a0No-one does strategy like this anymore, do they?<\/div>\n
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But what is this process really about?<\/div>\n
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