ISLAND VOICES
Old 'vision thing' a concept still missing
By Dean Uchida
The Land Use Research Foundation has been involved in a wide range of issues regarding affordable housing, infrastructure, land use entitlements, agricultural lands, water quality, and public education, just to name a few. It occurred to me as I was thinking about these issues that we, as a community, have not developed a future vision for Hawai'i.
I can see you all collectively groaning, saying, "Oh no, not the vision thing again!" Bear with me as I try to explain.
In public forums and in decision-making, we are constantly being pulled in different directions when confronted with problems or challenges.
For example, how do we accommodate growth and provide more affordable housing while preserving open space? There are many in the community who portray these as mutually exclusive goals.
The lack of a clearly articulated vision of the future, with specific goals that we have collectively agreed upon, limits our ability to deal with issues that appear to have conflicting goals.
Other organizations have an "underlying philosophy" or "corporate culture" that may provide some direction when confronted with conflicting goals. What drives our decision-making on issues as a community?
We have all heard from policy-makers and business leaders about the need to provide quality jobs for our economic growth (i.e., what kinds of jobs do we want for our children?).
Not many people will disagree with this goal; however, what plans have we developed to achieve it? High quality jobs come from high quality employers (by that I mean knowledge-based activities).
What does an employer look for when deciding where to open an office or headquarters? Or what does an existing employer look for when considering expansion of its business?
I would presume that some of the common elements that employers look for are things that will attract and retain their good employees. Good schools, housing opportunities, clean environment, culture and arts, and other activities. Employers look for an educated work force and things in the community that will allow their employees to grow.
Assuming that this becomes a goal for the future, improving public education not only provides the educated workforce for the future but also would attract and, more important, retain high-quality workers in our community.
Providing housing opportunities for all income levels gives workers the ability to start building financial and personnel equity in their communities. Promoting and sustaining viable agriculture provides a diverse economy as well as the side benefit of providing "clean and green" open space.
Without a sense of community goals we become a society driven by individual goals. Sports teams focus on goals for a game or season. They build around a common vision for the team such that individuals are willing to sacrifice of themselves to achieve the team goals. It appears that we have become a group of individuals living together rather than a true community.
By no means am I suggesting that "the vision thing" will solve all our problems. However, I do believe that the process and product will provide some much needed common ground from which to work as we collectively shape the future for Hawai'i.
More important, it will allow us to recognize that as individuals, we must all sacrifice in some way, in order that we may realize our vision of the future, whatever that may be.
Dean Uchida is executive director of the Land Use Research Foundation of Hawai'i.
