Report from APA Philadelphia 3
It never ceases to amaze me how important attendance at these things can be! Not only does one have the opportunity to listen to really smart people talking about things that really matter (in either the general or particular sense), but you also realize that you are part of a community of professionals that is genuinely committed to making the world a better place in which to live. In the midst of all our exam taking and book reading and lecture listeneing, we may forget that what we’re all about is … people!
This morning I had the the great honor to hear the Global Planning Keynote address delivered by Carolina Barco Isakson, Ambassador from Columbia to the US, and former head planner of Bogotá. Her’s was a remarkable story of the confluence of inspired mayoral leadership and of harnessing public commitment and participation in the transformation of a city once characterized by crime, violence, corruption, and fiscal irresponsibility into a place you might actually want to live. (Thanks to Grist for that particular sentiment; see A Tale of Two Mayors.)
As difficult and frustrating and complex as the encouragement and incorporation of public participation into the planning process is, one was left with the clear message that no sustainable community can be created without civic commitment to the goal and participation in the process. Ambassador Barco’s inspirational story was truly a moving testament to what the public sector can accomplish when it enlists the civic quarter in it’s initiatives.
