Before reading further I would ask the reader to imagine, or draw on a piece of paper, their design of an outdoor skating rink. More on this later.
Nearly a year after the civic election, little has changed in Didsbury as it continues to follow the old model of civic government where power is held and not shared, monologues not dialogue are the norm, efforts to promote a sense of belonging, social cohesion and social capital are a low priority and not seen as an important precursor to economic development, economic development is linked to infrastructure projects, household poverty is seen as someone else’s problem, and planning and policy making is undertaken without including in a meaningful and respectful way those affected.
How is continuing to operate in the same way as in the past going to give any different result?
There is an alternative. Across North America forward-thinking communities of all sizes are rethinking the dynamics and relationship of people, place and space with the objective of improving the social and economic well-being of residents via place-based interventions.
For these communities – referring to themselves as a resilient community, sustainable community, or strong neighbourhood-community – "open for business" starts with things most would consider elements of community development – changing the dialogue from "us and them" to "we."
Their efforts focus on building trust. Increasing social inclusion and social capital – the sense of belonging, developing a connected leaderful community (defined not by one individual or even a set of common leadership traits) to address the needs of the community, respecting social justice -- self-determination of issues, needs and solutions -- while refraining from paternalistic, authoritative and institutionally imposed solutions, and addressing marginalization and discrimination associated with poverty.
High achieving communities following the above have proven the ability to achieve greater sustainable economic success than any community attempting every other economic development intervention strategy (e.g. industrial development, tourism, business retention and revitalization, or suburbia residential development).
To undertake such a transformative process requires "out-of-the-box" imaginative thinking. Results can be seen in the short term, but it requires a long-term view (five to 10 years) to measure the ultimate results. It’s hard work. It requires those involved to “put on their shoes and get out and talk with people."
In speeches I have given on this subject I always say “if you haven’t worn out a pair of shoes you haven’t talked to enough people."
Remember the outdoor rink question. Did you draw a rectangle in the style of a hockey rink? A square? Or perhaps a circle?
My rink starts with two overlapping irregular blobs, a small one for family skating (community youngsters added colour when the ice was being flooded), and a larger one for shinny hockey. Around the outside are two rings. The first is irregular in shape intended for pleasure skaters wishing to skate hand in hand with their sweetheart to the sound of the Blue Danube (guaranteed hand-holding music). The second is for kamikaze skaters who want to race at breakneck speed round and round. There are a number of shovels nearby for rink users to help keep the ice clear of snow so the responsibility doesn’t always fall on the municipality.
This is the type of imaginative collaborative thinking needed to transform Didsbury. I encourage you to help build our community with your forward-thinking ideas.
Kevin Bentley
Didsbury
