Off to the Melbourne Place Making Conference today.  Check out the link for the program http://www.melbourneplacemakingseries.com.au/ It will be fabulous to be with some of my tribe from around the world. I’m also excited about hearing and meeting one of my favorite authors/critics/public speakers – James Howard Kunstler   http://www.kunstler.com/blog/ who I’m sure will stir things up nicely.  He’s the leading proponent for the New Urbanism movement and his books ‘Geography of Nowhere‘ and ‘End of Suburbia‘ really helped me understand the need for creating meaning in public spaces and communities.  Finding unique points of difference that create place stories rather than developing suburbs that all look the same and don’t feed our minds and souls.

As part of the Conference I’m presenting a short ‘place leaders’ session and am going to focus on the ideas of -’engaging on the street‘ and ‘use before design‘.  My work and experience have brought me to a place where I’m tired of working on strategic plans… that turn into reports… that get caught in bureaucratic tug of wars… and then sit on shelves collecting dust!

I want to be involved in evoking new ways of living and helping create positive stories in places – that capture the imagination of people (well before mega bucks are spent on infrastructure and buildings).

I want to work with the people I love to create rituals that symbolize what’s important in life and communities.

I want to help redirect resources to short term programming that builds neighbourhoods and capacity.

I want to ensure that people get a say in decisions that will impact on their life and the spaces they frequent.

I want to give the voiceless a voice by continuing to be a conduit between ordinary citizens and decision makers.

I want to encourage decision makers to get back on the street and actually meet the people in the places in which they live, work and play.

I want to be surrounded by youth and diversity in order to stay creative.

I want to support positive change  for those who are experiencing a less than best life – who are poor – financially or in spirit or in resources or in power or in networks.

I want to make sure that individuals are as important as systems and project processes by encouraging human to human contact.

I want 2011 to bring new ways of working collaboratively to develop innovative ideas which bring meaning and possibilities into my work and the communities I work with.

Only about 10 weeks to the end of the year – which is why I guess I’m musing about the year to come.  Time to get WISHING!