Conversations for Change
enVISIONing Annapolis embraces the idea of “thinking globally while acting locally.” And we believe that the first part — global thinking — is a prerequisite for the second — acting locally in an informed, creative, and proactive way to define a vision of the future that preserves the best of the past while enhancing the quality of life for future generations.
We have put together a series of community conversations that will, over the next months, bring to Annapolis some of the best global thinkers that we can find to share with us their experiences working in cities like Annapolis in places all around the world. Our hope is that we — the citizens of Annapolis — will gain new insights, discover new approaches, and be inspired by new ideas that we can then apply locally to the problems we face here in Annapolis. Let me briefly tell you about the upcoming Community Conversations for Change that we have scheduled:
On January 22nd, we’ll look at the gentrification of Annapolis and how workers fit into the picture. Roberto Suro from the University of Southern California will discuss the impact of Hispanic in-migration, something that is transforming cities around the country, including here in Annapolis. The talk will be held at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.
On February 26th, we will talk about the future of historic preservation and heritage tourism with Howard Mansfield, a fascinating cultural thinker from New Hampshire, and Paul Byard, the director of the Historic Preservation program at Columbia University. The talk will be held at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.
During late March, we will bring a dozen or so experts from a wide variety of disciplines to Annapolis for a five-day charette, or think-tank. These folks will be from around the country and from Europe and we will ask them to pool their experiences and their expertise to help us devise new and creative ways for us to look at Annapolis’ future.
And finally, on June 7th, Paul Goldberger, the architectural and urban critic from the New Yorker Magazine, will come to town to report on the results of the March charette and to suggest ways that we can move forward to help shape a better future for this town.
When these nine months of community conversations are over and all of the brainiacs we have brought to town are gone, the future of Annapolis will remain squarely where it has always been — in our hands, the people who live and work here and who want this place to be a vibrant and nurturing town for our residents, businesses, visitors, and most importantly, for the generations who come after us. We hope that we will collectively have come up with some new ideas — new approaches — for change.
Greg Stiverson
