At 03:04 AM 7/28/2003 +0200, Avner Haramati wrote:
And the question: We (with Tova) are in a process of using OS in the context of inhabitants participation in building a "Master- Plan" for a small city. We would be very thankful to hear and learn about your experience in this kind of work, especially on the allignment with the city planners and the planning stages, and how coming elections effects it?
I think Romy Shovelton has done some work in this area -- she is sometime lurker on the list -- but just to get her attention, I will forward this to her. As far as your question goes -- You have surely asked the tough one. I find that both city planners and politicians are (in general) adverse to Open Space. The bottom line is control. They think they should have it (control), Open Space makes it clear that nobody really does -- and so the problem. While there are undoubtedly ways to integrate Open Space events into the whole process (At the beginning to set the stage, in the middle for course corrections and working the "clear as mud issues", and at the end -- or continuing -- for implementation) I find that the critical thing it to seek the active, continuing, participatory involvement of planners and politicians. Things go badly astray when planners and pols consider the Open Space to be an exercise of the people which they may observe, and from which they may receive recommendations -- the old "senior management" model. Pulling this one off is a major task, and usually involves something like a "soul change" for the P & Ps. Indeed for some of them it requires that the world as they have seen it be turned upside down. All of a sudden the people are "in charge" and the task of the planners and politicians becomes one of working out the technical details -- a most important task -- but definitely secondary. This is called democracy. From the sounds of things (your story) you are off to a good start. My suggestion would be to spend a lot of time with the P & P in mentoring relationship, helping them to understand to genuine power of aligning their efforts with the desires of the people. As Gandhi was purported to have said -- help them to find out which way the parade is going and clear the route and manage the traffic. Actually, Gandhi didn't say that exactly, but I think he could have. Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, MD 20854 USA phone 301-365-2093 Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html