AMAZING CITIES

6 WAYS TO DESTROY A NEIGHBORHOOD

Do you ever wonder how a neighborhood begins to resemble a war torn area in a far away land?  Does it happen overnight or is it a gradual decline over many years?  If you could identify the characteristics of a failing neighborhood, could you intervene and make a difference? 

Let's examine six, sure fire ways to destroy, even the most viable neighborhoods.  As you review each one, think about your city and what you can do to prevent this destruction. 

• Relax Code Enforcement- As you drive down the street, just look for the big violations.  If the paint is peeling on several houses, just go after the one that is really bad.  When someone fixes a broken window with a piece of plywood, at least it's covered.    

• Leave Graffiti on the Buildings-Don't worry, one or two painted garage doors isn't that big a deal.  Of course, you paint over the foul language and gang signs, but is it really necessary to cover every tag.  Maybe there is a budding artist in the neighborhood! 

• Let Weeds Grow on Vacant Lots-Oh sure, you used to cut the grass, but it really just keeps on growing.  Yes, you could chase down the owner, but chances are, they will just cut the grass once a summer and after a good rain, it will be just as bad.  Let's not waste the time of effort.

• Leave Junk Cars Unattended-You know how it happens; the old Chevy next to the vacant house.  The owner was only going to park it there until his brother-in-law fixed the transmission.  Then he decided that he was going to use the parts from it and would have the whole thing gone in a month.  That was 1999!

• Don't Trim the Trees-The urban forest; let it grow.  As the limbs reach out over the sidewalk, causing people to walk into the street, the street becomes darker and darker.  As limbs break off in high winds, leave them to the side for possible use as firewood on a cold night.

• Don't replace Street Signs-Leave up Stop signs long after you can tell what color it used to be.  Besides, most people recognize the shape.  The best ones to leave up are the faded Neighborhood Watch signs.  This really lets the crooks know who is watching!!! 

Does it ring a bell?  Do you immediately get a picture, in your mind, of an area of town that is heading for destruction?  Why not take a step to address the "little" things?  Fight the tendency to overlook the old building covered with graffiti.  Hook up the wrecker to that "Old Chevy" before it becomes part of the landscape. 

In even the worst of neighborhoods, there was a time when a broken window stood out.  Take a note pad and walk along a street.  In no time you will have a list of items that need attention.  When you reach twenty items, give it to the Public Works Department.  Ask that they complete the list in a week.   Go back to the neighborhood after a week and see if it made a difference.  If it did, engage the neighbors to be the eyes and ears.  The reason that I suggest engaging the neighbors after you have completed the initial list is that in many cases, the city has no credibility in the neighborhood.  They have to see some action, before they become excitied.

Try it, it never fails.

 

Achieving Your Vision After the Retreat

Go Fast By Letting Go

By

Mike Conduff

Cities today are often blessed with truly incredible and visionary leaders.  In the face of increasing service demands, declining or stable revenues and an ever more strident citizenry, now more than ever these outstanding elected officials are focusing on the future.  "What quality of life do we want to provide our children and grandchildren?"  "What do we want our community to look like in ten, twenty and fifty years?"  And, "What truly is our mission?" are often questions that I watch being thoroughly addressed at progressive city council retreats.  After sharing heartfelt values and debating forthrightly, today's great city councils find a way to come to agreement on these questions and craft their vision accordingly.  Terms like world class and best in class accompany these important words.

Then these folks head home and face the reality that programs have to be instituted, activities have to be directed and funds found in order for the vision that they have so arduously crafted to come to reality.  Oh, and by the way, garbage still has to be picked up, fires put out, streets patrolled and pot holes filled.  And unfortunately no matter what the city charter says we all know that it is the City Council that the citizens hold accountable for the performance of these day to day activities of local government.  If in the pursuit of the vision something goes awry at City Hall, it is the elected officials, not the staff that pay the price at the ballot box. 

Consequently, these city councils must have full control over the complex operations of their city.  At the same time, in order to pursue being world class it is also important for the council to be free from the complexity of those operations.  Whether paid or volunteer, full or part-time, elected officials cannot possibly know all that is going on in every department. 

These two needs, to pursue the vision with full control, while being free from the minutia of operations, often compromise each other.  Some city councils relinquish control and become rubber stamps for operations so that they can concentrate on their vision.  Others unintentionally sacrifice the vision by meddling in municipal affairs to the extent of being known as "micromanagers."

Fortunately there is a governance model that provides an answer for this conflict, and exemplary organizations around the globe are embracing it.  These city councils, school boards and boards of directors are focusing on the vision they desire their organizations to achieve, empowering staff to achieve them by setting limits on the mechanisms staff employ and then monitoring behavior to ensure that performance standards are being met while the vision is being achieved.  In fact, actually achieving the city council's outcomes becomes the critical factor, as long as the methods used to achieve them are reasonable, prudent and ethical. 

In my work with dozens of city councils and other boards I have found that it requires only a modest investment of time to discuss and agree on in advance exactly what is imprudent and unethical, and consequently unacceptable behavior.  Once this is done, staff, committees and others are fully empowered to use the full range of their education, training, experience and expertise to enable the complex municipal organization to achieve the council's vision while providing those best in class services.

Think of your last plane trip.  You decided on the destination, the amount you wanted to pay, and when you wanted to arrive.  Then you boarded the plane (in coach since this is government) and enjoyed or at least endured the ride.  You did not attempt to tell the pilot which runway to use, what altitude to fly, what to wear or when to take a break.  Rather you relied on the expertise, experience and license of the pilot to ensure safe and reliable operation.  The FAA and others developed boundaries of pilot behavior and you counted on the pilot to fly in accordance with them.

In short, to become highly effective governing bodies, councils don't tell staffs what they can do; they tell them what they can't do.  Furthermore, Councils actually regularly monitor to make sure staffs aren't taking actions that have been deemed imprudent and/or unethical.

In today's empowerment culture this approach seems a bit counterintuitive, but the power of drawing boundaries and then "letting go" becomes quickly obvious upon reflection.  There is no way even a full-time Council can know ahead of time all of the possible ways to address a particular issue, so they can't give advance approval.  And asking the staff to bring back every possible solution to the Council "for direction and approval" costs time, as well as money.  With the Council articulating the desired destination and the boundaries, the staff can seek and implement the best possible solutions within those limits.

I often use a quote from Erich Fromm (1900-1980) the famous social philosopher to underscore this point.  Fromm said "True freedom is not the absence of structure - letting employees go off and do what ever they want - but rather a clear structure that enables people to work within established boundaries in an autonomous and creative way." 

By providing freedom to city staff by setting and enforcing limits, City Councils can accelerate the pace of government so that they actually achieve the visions that they work so hard to develop.  And, along the way they can even sleep soundly at night, knowing that the municipal organization is under control and fully focused.  These councils go fast by letting go.

Mike Conduff

President and CEO

The Elim Group

www.TheElimGroup.com

94-382-3945

Authors' Note:  Dr. John Carver developed the Policy Governance® model and described it in his book, Boards That Make a Difference.  I highly recommend Dr. Carver's work, and you can learn more at www.policygovernance.com