ABSTRACT
Envisioning a future for a community is often received the wrong way. Elected officials sometimes believe that, if they can imagine the ideal community of the future, they can make it happen given sufficient time and resources. Vision is not cute. Vision is not idealistic. Vision must be realistic. It must incorporate the most ideal situation that is possible within the context of community assets and needs. The vision is the beginning of the strategizing. It is critical because it frames all of the conversations that follow, however it represents only the tip of the iceberg. The vision only portrays that which the community reasonably feels it wants to become within the context of what it can become. A city that is overly dependent upon a single industry or a single employer – or even a relatively few employers – is at risk. This is even true if there is such disbelief in the community.
