We’ve learned in our discussions, reflection sessions, and time at work that big problems don’t often have easy solutions. Entrenched injustices run deep, and forces that are powerful and invisible in everyday life are often at play. Merely defining problems such as increasing carbon emissions, widening gaps in social equity, or deteriorating public health necessitates the identification of trends in culture, policy, and economy that permeate every aspect of our lives. For example, if we hope to live in a carbon equilibrium that is entirely sustainable, seemingly immovable institutions will have to be torn down. Can you imagine an America in which the interstate system has been entirely replaced by high-speed trains? Where hydroponic farming is centered in the hearts of major cities? Where suburbs and rural towns are gone, replaced by “smart cities” where social sustainability is the foundation for maximized land use and efficiency of resource delivery?
The physical and social infrastructure of our country would be unrecognizable at the point where today’s pressing issues are completely solved. At times it seems to me that the gap between where we are and where we want to be is great enough to make the questions above idealistic and meaningless. But, as city council member Mike O’Brien told us, the only way to begin is with a realistic, manageable first step. And so our community partners attack the big, complex issues that are not being solved or even being noticed in our state and federal political systems.
I’ve learned in classes at school that historically, public pressure and political will must combine to rein in industry with socially conscious policy reform. The cap and trade addendum to the Clean Air Act of 1990 is a perfect example of grassroots protests that added influence to the existing political calls for updated pollutions standards. In working with Futurewise, though, I’ve realized that the public and the politicians are often fundamentally disconnected, preventing successes like that of the Clean Air Act. Futurewise tries to serve as a middleman between residents of Washington and local politicians and city programs in creating equitable, livable, healthy, and sustainable communities.
City planning is inherently quantitative: the city wants to expand transit by bus and train by X percent, and expect housing development to grow with Y new units per year. People’s concerns about their community, though, take on the qualitative language of daily life: there’s not a bus stop close enough to my house, and I don’t like the empty lots in my neighborhood. Futurewise understands that the disconnect is in fact more linguistic than ideological. While these are essentially the same message, the changes that are best for the community are somehow lost in translation. Futurewise couples its urban planning and legal teams, fluent in the language of local government, with interactive public outreach that allows people to feel that they matter, and that their voice will be heard and understood.
The physical and social infrastructure of our country would be unrecognizable at the point where today’s pressing issues are completely solved. At times it seems to me that the gap between where we are and where we want to be is great enough to make the questions above idealistic and meaningless. But, as city council member Mike O’Brien told us, the only way to begin is with a realistic, manageable first step. And so our community partners attack the big, complex issues that are not being solved or even being noticed in our state and federal political systems.
I’ve learned in classes at school that historically, public pressure and political will must combine to rein in industry with socially conscious policy reform. The cap and trade addendum to the Clean Air Act of 1990 is a perfect example of grassroots protests that added influence to the existing political calls for updated pollutions standards. In working with Futurewise, though, I’ve realized that the public and the politicians are often fundamentally disconnected, preventing successes like that of the Clean Air Act. Futurewise tries to serve as a middleman between residents of Washington and local politicians and city programs in creating equitable, livable, healthy, and sustainable communities.
City planning is inherently quantitative: the city wants to expand transit by bus and train by X percent, and expect housing development to grow with Y new units per year. People’s concerns about their community, though, take on the qualitative language of daily life: there’s not a bus stop close enough to my house, and I don’t like the empty lots in my neighborhood. Futurewise understands that the disconnect is in fact more linguistic than ideological. While these are essentially the same message, the changes that are best for the community are somehow lost in translation. Futurewise couples its urban planning and legal teams, fluent in the language of local government, with interactive public outreach that allows people to feel that they matter, and that their voice will be heard and understood.
This week, I got to help Futurewise as they “translated” people’s thoughts on their community into tabulated survey results at Kent Cornucopia days. Kent, a small town 45 minutes south of downtown Seattle, held a fair to celebrate local organizations and businesses and promote community initiatives, while providing a fun day outdoors for the town. Futurewise set up a booth in which each person placed a sticker on a map of King County, identifying where they live. They then went through a series of panels where they could place more stickers and write with markers on a number of housing and quality of life topics. Participants commented on the type of home that suits their family, public services in their community that improve quality of life, and public use and maintenance of air, water and green spaces. They voted with stickers on likes and dislikes of public transportation, their favorite outdoor activities, and drew their primary commute on a map of the county. Our tent provided shade from the hot sun, and people were drawn in by the interesting colors and patterns emerging on our panels, as well as a drawing station and balloons to entice children.
Throughout the day I realized that the genius of this event lay in its interactivity. Futurewise was contracted by the town of Kent to gauge public opinion on housing, quality of life, and environmental issues. But, this fair was a fun day for families of Kent, and the response would have been minimal if we had simply asked people to fill out surveys when other exciting booths were nearby. Each person’s sticker color indicated where they were from in King county, meaning that at the end of the day, Futurewise had tabulated survey responses: the panels demonstrated, for example, that people in Kent want better schools and safety immediately, and support current funding for parks and green spaces. The booth not only fit in with the fun atmosphere of the fair, but also generated a wealth of data which the organization can compile – translating people’s thoughts on their town into statistics that an urban planner might consider in allocating money for public spaces.
Throughout the day I realized that the genius of this event lay in its interactivity. Futurewise was contracted by the town of Kent to gauge public opinion on housing, quality of life, and environmental issues. But, this fair was a fun day for families of Kent, and the response would have been minimal if we had simply asked people to fill out surveys when other exciting booths were nearby. Each person’s sticker color indicated where they were from in King county, meaning that at the end of the day, Futurewise had tabulated survey responses: the panels demonstrated, for example, that people in Kent want better schools and safety immediately, and support current funding for parks and green spaces. The booth not only fit in with the fun atmosphere of the fair, but also generated a wealth of data which the organization can compile – translating people’s thoughts on their town into statistics that an urban planner might consider in allocating money for public spaces.
Overall, I’ve learned that Futurewise specializes in the “first steps” that slowly add up to make big, audacious goals seem more realistic. In our first few weeks at the office, Ulises and I have sat in on meetings where the seemingly abstract, unachievable ideas are thrown around. It was not until last Friday, though, that I understood our role as a middleman between people, government, and corporations. The organization’s grant from King County stipulates that they develop “transit oriented communities” in three cities within the county. This is another goal that may seem impossible, but I’ve learned that in coupling outreach with planning, smart development that meets the needs of the community and the growth and cost concerns of the government is feasible.
Tom Neufeld
Duke Student '15
Tom Neufeld
Duke Student '15