The Road Ahead We meet tonight at a crossroads, a point of decision. Shall we expand, be inclusive, find unity and power; or suffer division and impotence. — Jesse Jackson, civil rights activist and author of “Common Ground and Common Sense”
The Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan provides a platform for moving forward. It clearly defines where we are today and where we want to go. It provides policies and actions for each building block of the plan. It contains a wealth of community-defined priorities
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for sustainability, livability, mobility, equity, and prosperity. Now, Austinites and their city
government must work collaboratively to make the plan bear fruit. Four action steps are required as we move forward:
Get to work
Austinites are united by their desire to see the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan yield results. We all want to see completed projects that make Austin better. In adopting this
plan, the City of Austin is inviting everyone – residents, local companies and business
groups, philanthropists and nonprofits, governmental agencies, and others – to partner with it to realize the plan. A collaborative commitment is essential. The action plan must
start strong and be sustained in the years ahead. Set priorities
The Austin of our dreams won’t be built in a day. This plan contains hundreds of transformational ideas for our future. From them, we must prioritize an achievable handful at a
time and successfully execute them. Seeing visible results steadily emerge from this comprehensive plan will be important. Which goals within the plan most merit our immediate attention and can be translated into relatively quick, inspiring wins? How can publicprivate partnerships advance big, exciting projects that achieve multiple objectives at once? Agree to work together The greatest benefit of a comprehensive plan is that it is a single playbook from which everyone works. We can accomplish far more by pulling in the same direction. The Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan sets the stage for a new era defined by advancing common objectives. When challenging issues and choices arise, the plan guides both the municipality and the community in thinking about the good of the whole. Leadership will be important moving forward. The plan needs leaders – within the community and city government – who are committed to realizing its potential and power, and are skilled at the coalition-building required to move forward together.
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