OS in community planning? and Water into Wine

[Rhett Hudson/Chris Weaver]

Alan, this is a marvelous story of a great success.  I especially love that
the experience of OS in planning the facility may lead to the facility being
used for future OS events on other issues.  Bravo.  -Chris

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From: Alan Stewart <alan.stewart at flinders.edu.au>
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: OS in community planning? and Water into Wine
Date: Sun, May 21, 2000, 9:38 AM


In the past few months I have had the opportunity to introduce OS to
planning processes in a local
government authority in Adelaide, South Australia.

As a 'feeler' for this unfamiliar approach, the CEO sugggested that OS be
used initially to find out
what the residents of Marion, a city comprising several suburbs with greater
metropolitan Adelaide
with a population of about 80 000, wished to see happen in their proposed
new cultural center.

What emerged was a total surprise to the planners and architects. What they
had deemed to be important,
as expressed in their planning document, such as a library and art gallery,
was not touched on in the
community consultations based on OS.

Instead, passion expressed by partipants was for elements which could be
construed as 'the heart
of the cultural center,' such as a performing arts facility, a meeting place
for ideas, link with a local
Aboriginal center, a drop in venue for young people, design of the external
environs.

The chief planner commented in a closing circle: 'This form of consultation
has brought me into direct
contact with the people who will be using the Center. I have learned much
and have greatly enjoyed the experience.'

Several major design changes were decided by the elected members within a
fortnight of the OS sessions and the people
of Marion notified accordingly and promptly.

More details are contained in the article below. It was written by a
journalist who came along as 'hired help' and found himself
drawn to participate in the OS process.

And what the CEO and others perhaps had not appreciated is that a culture of
conversation has transformed not
only a planning process and the assoctiated design of a major facility. It
is now impacting substantially on the whole
operations of the elected officials and of the council staff.

What further magic will emerge?

Alan Stewart


Conversing with passion

Discussions about the future of major community facilities and how they
should be used can easily become shouting matches as different interest
groups push and shove their views.

In such instances little is achieved other than a sense that everyone has
just wasted their time. There is no agreement or consensus, no positive
"next moves", and consequently no progress.

In seeking to finesse the design of Marions proposed Cultural Centre, and to
better understand how the community might wish to use it, Marion Council
decided to take a more innovative, non-adversarial approach - using a
consultant "conversationalist" as a facilitator.

The result was two public "conversations" held at Marion Council in late
February/early March, which are being followed by a series of Passion Café
meetings where people can present their views, passionately if they wish,
about the development of the Cultural Centre.

Meetings facilitator Alan Stewart, who describes himself as a professional
conversationalist, says the process he adopts creates a space in which
people feel secure in talking openly  conversing - on what they feel
passionately about and in telling their stories.

For most of the 60 or so Marion residents who took part in the first two
conversations, the experience was unconventional  but, by common consensus,
it worked. Views that might have been fiercely expressed and just as
fiercely contested in another environment were here considered calmly in an
atmosphere of mutual respect.

Perhaps more importantly, some of the more significant views expressed
already have brought about major alterations to the Cultural Centres layout.

Far from being too little consultation too late in the piece, Marion
Councillor Wolf Bierbaum, who attended the second of the meetings, says they
were "quite timely" and had influenced the decision to include a 160 seat
multi-purpose theatre in the centre.

"Weve learned that economic rationalism - that is, money  is not the only
rationale for this development. Wed been limiting ourselves because of the
budget, but thats not always the best way to go," he said.

The lack of a venue to replace Pioneer Hall had been one of the most
consistent and strongest concerns. But there were many others: will there be
enough parking; will it be a place where kids will want to hang out; will
rain be captured from its huge roof; will it be welcoming; where are the
outdoor gathering spaces; will there be enough shade?

In short, will it truly provide a much-needed heart for the city  or will it
just be a library, a café, some meeting rooms, and not much more?

The relaxed, non-aggressive nature of the meetings encouraged people to
speak from their hearts, with passion. There to listen, and take part, were
senior council officers, planners and administrators, who were there,
frankly, because they wanted to be.

"The council should not be seen as separate from the community," said Acting
CEO Terry Bruun, who introduced the meeting. "It must be representative of
the community."

Councils all over Adelaide try hard to communicate with their residents,
usually with only limited success. Marion has sought a new path inspired by
the noted American economist and futurist Robert Theobald, who died soon
after visiting Australia late last year. Theobald was a champion of the
Reworking Tomorrow movement which, in the light of new social, political and
economic realities, challenges traditional structures put into place by
decision-makers.

The idea of consulting with the community in a conversational context is
aimed at making people more confident in expressing what they feel strongly
about, more positive, and creating a new "collective intelligence" on which
council can draw.

"I really love the collective wisdom that comes out, and the triggers that
provoke even more thought," says Wolf Bierbaum.

He was reinforced by Marion Councils cultural planner Don Chapman, who told
one of the meetings: "The community is not only smarter than council
employees think, youre smarter than we can think. Its marvellous how lateral
you can be. The solutions are all there."

Although a series of Passion Cafés has been organised to continue this
important community conversation, it is hoped that the Cultural Centre
itself will become a venue for ongoing converse on community issues, and
that the process will step further into the community at more local levels.



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