Fort Wayne, Indiana city officials hosted a community forum to facilitate a discussion about the city’s master plan called” Southeast Area Development Strategy, for the entire southeast side of the city. Instead of touting their individual piecemeal project that never materializes into what was promise to the residents nor on time, the city has bundled all projects, together.
Community members were folded into themed groups headed by and crafted by city members of city government who were a major part of each group. Other stakeholders attended another earlier forum to discuss the project.
Both events lead by city officials but assisted and facilitated by Curt Davis, of the Rebuild it Collaborative, from Boston, Massachusetts. Together the focus groups’ orchestrated main objective, was o focus discussions on fostering quality development by investors, by identifying locations, priorities, and tools for new and current development.
This is the city’s attempt to sell a unified vision for improvement to the Southside to its diverse group of voters. After the information was gathered, the next day Mr. Davis, provided hope to residents and the business community that change could happen but both party must be willing to accept the change. Mr. Davis reminded those in the audience that the problem of Fort Wayne is like a gem in the rough, but by looking at Fort Wayne through others lens was a jewel in the waiting to be made. It is time to take action where portrayal and perception are in agreement, for example, treating the image of the Southside more as the asset it is to the community rather than over exaggerating the negative from years of neglect.
Ask yourself the two questions asked of the stakeholders' focus group. What are some of the positive reasons for developing and/or investing in the southeast and what does the City need to do to promote development/investment in Southeast? Answers these two simply questions may make you do something about the weeds growing on East Creighton Street and embracing a $6 million dollar low-income project ready to go on the Southside. But I’m not Mr. Davis, I see ghosts of the same old tired dreams deferred for those living on the southside.
