Time is a funny concept. How do you measure it?
* We hit this gong (purchased at my fave non-profit store, Ten Thousand Villages, right there by Target) when it is time for dinner.
* We email, i.m. and Twitter info instantly, yet our soon-to-be-city's acting "paper of record" is a weekly.
* We consider land-use policy-making to be "premature" for our city at a time when our region is exploding in population (according to ARC's 2006 Annual Report, the Atlanta region's population is expected to grow 46% in the next twenty five years).
And we somehow seem hesitant to wrap our arms around some very disturbing time-related facts:
* Our world has about 30 years left of oil. We're rapidly approaching peak oil right now, which is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This fact is a major motivator for cities worldwide to increase their sustainability initiatives and reduce their dependence on oil. Thirty years, folks (okay, maybe this fact is right, maybe it's not, but it certainly got my attention, and I'm a person who likes to prepare). How old are your children? Add 30 years and picture a world with no oil. Are we anywhere near ready for that? Are we even trying to be? And oil is not just used for energy. It is an ingredient in many products (including processed food, by the way--artifical dyes are derived primarily from coal and petroleum sources, according to the FDA) and the mainstay of industrial agriculture. (Hmm, perhaps there are bigger issues there.)
* Our world supposedly has about 50 years left of fish. That may seem like a trivial little thing, but it is a "canary in the coal mine" about our interconnected environmental issues. For those of you who enjoy the All Saints Fish Fry Fridays during Lent, do you realize that your grandchildren may not have that opportunity? And that's just the beginning.
William Gaffney, the head karate instructor at the Dunwoody Dojo, has a saying, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Where is our plan? We can't attempt to embrace the challenges of today's times, and tomorrow's predicted realities, without one. And time is ticking.
My suggestion? We get all the issues on the table, we get short (1 year), medium (5 years) and long-term (25 years) strategic plans written for the City of Dunwoody and we get task forces working on all the issues concurrently.
And let's get the experts at places like ARC and The Clean Air Campaign, and other planning organizations, on the phone. Or we could Twitter them.
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6 comments:
We have a weekly as the paper of record because of Mr. Williams' unwavering support for citihood, both in controlling editorial content as well as in-kind donations. The Crier is the only business in Dunwoody that will directly and immediately benefit from citihood as every other business will pay higher taxes and fees with no guarantee of city purchases. And yes, quid pro quo sounds a lot like politics as usual.
Could you give a reference (URL, etc.) to support the assertion that "We consider land-use policy-making to be "premature" for our city?" That is quite disturbing since development was such an important issue before the referendum.
Thaddeus: I actually happen to like the Crier, but a weekly vehicle is not a news-breaking vehicle in today's world.
My comment about land-use policy being premature is my own comment and has no supporting "URL." I recognize that our City Council has many, many priorities and things will take time. I simply suggest that we try to balance many balls concurrently, with necessary citizen support, so that all the issues move forward.
I like the Crier as well for what it is. But as a free weekly it cannot tolerate controversy without going out of business. Several years ago they ran an article exposing some questionable actions by boosters on behalf of the Dunwoody High School BBall team. The community reaction was incredibly negative and we've not seen anything approaching investigative journalism since (unless you consider blasting Jill Chambers investigative).
I agree with your implicit statement that land use is a high priority. Right behind establishing a web site for immediate publication of all city materials. Transparency should be the foundation for all city actions.
We must proceed carefully though with a land use policy. We need professionals in place that can guide us as this is a process full of land mines. Property owners have rights, neighborhoods have rights etc. I expect that it won't be pretty or easy, but certainly should be started soon.
Thanks for commenting. Ya' know, I think I'm going to back off on these issues a little bit for a little while. The council is working so darn hard and I know that many good people are already on top of these issues. In due time.
Please don't back off. They knew the job was dangerous when they took it, and Fran Millar claims they had an extra year to prepare. There should be no surprises.
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