What is "visioning," aside from a buzzword? The article takes the word at face value and uses it repeatedly without investigating it.
Will the average Chattanoogan understand the word "visioning" or will they just have a survey thrown at them?
What will be done with the information collected? Who will insure that all responses receive equal treatment and that the survey is never used selectively to fit the agenda of those promoting it?
What sceintifically valid surveying organization developed the survey questions and is tallying the results? Who has insured this survey is unbiased?
What person mentioned in this article has a degree in urban planning? Who in this Stand organization is experienced in engaging diverse communities? What is the racial and cultural makeup of the people involved in Stand?
Who are these "new generation of leaders" and what makes them leaders? What have they done for Chattanooga aside from market themselves well? What is their connection to Chattanooga beyond their desire to profit or to promote themselves?
How is it anyone needs to be called to get involved with the future of the city as "the people" are the future of the city? What is happening is a call for "leaders" to get involved in a very specific version of the city's future that a small group of people would like to force into being. The people of Chattanooga are the future of the city beyond a few marketing surveys they may or may not choose to fill out. A large marketing survey of the city is not community planning, it is an attempt to co-opt people into a plan already in motion, to take the people's opinions, combine them without oversight and announce to the community what it thinks. It is very likely these results will never be available to the community uncensored. What will be available is a "Executive Summary" of the results. This summary will reflect what Stand organizers wish to present. Community planning on a democratic level involves complex, on-going community engagement by people experienced not in marketing to people but instead experienced in engaging people in a way that helps them to find their own voice.
Why does the Chattanooga press take at face value the statement that "Stand has no agenda." Stand, and the associated organizations, are funded by money, and money always has an agenda. The job of the press is to, at the very least, look into that agenda. Who supports Stand and what do they want? Who stands to profit from Stand and the associated organizations?
Chattanooga: Fresh eyes, new vision
What is "visioning," aside from a buzzword? The article takes the word at face value and uses it repeatedly without investigating it. Will the average Chattanoogan understand the word "visioning" or will they just have a survey thrown at them? What will be done with the information collected? Who will insure that all responses receive equal treatment and that the survey is never used selectively to fit the agenda of those promoting it? What sceintifically valid surveying organization developed the survey questions and is tallying the results? Who has insured this survey is unbiased? What person mentioned in this article has a degree in urban planning? Who in this Stand organization is experienced in engaging diverse communities? What is the racial and cultural makeup of the people involved in Stand? Who are these "new generation of leaders" and what makes them leaders? What have they done for Chattanooga aside from market themselves well? What is their connection to Chattanooga beyond their desire to profit or to promote themselves? How is it anyone needs to be called to get involved with the future of the city as "the people" are the future of the city? What is happening is a call for "leaders" to get involved in a very specific version of the city's future that a small group of people would like to force into being. The people of Chattanooga are the future of the city beyond a few marketing surveys they may or may not choose to fill out. A large marketing survey of the city is not community planning, it is an attempt to co-opt people into a plan already in motion, to take the people's opinions, combine them without oversight and announce to the community what it thinks. It is very likely these results will never be available to the community uncensored. What will be available is a "Executive Summary" of the results. This summary will reflect what Stand organizers wish to present. Community planning on a democratic level involves complex, on-going community engagement by people experienced not in marketing to people but instead experienced in engaging people in a way that helps them to find their own voice. Why does the Chattanooga press take at face value the statement that "Stand has no agenda." Stand, and the associated organizations, are funded by money, and money always has an agenda. The job of the press is to, at the very least, look into that agenda. Who supports Stand and what do they want? Who stands to profit from Stand and the associated organizations?