Fast forward to 2040. How can Asheville be even greater than it is today? Can we develop greater capacity to tackle our challenges? Can we build a broader and stronger economic ladder where every person can get a leg up?
AVL. Greater.
The Vision
- Growing Up – We need to address growing pains by increasing the availability of housing, wrestling with land use plans that make the most of our limited develop-able space including increasing density along transportation corridors, and creating transportation infrastructure that helps us move people well.
- Leadership – Not only do we need a shared vision of where we’re going, we need intergenerational leadership to help us get there. We need to think regionally about how we all grow together in a healthy way, maintaining the quality of life and environment we all know and love.
- Economic Mobility & Shared Prosperity – The vision calls for growing the economic pie for all, not simply cutting the pie into smaller pieces. We can do that by working block by block to ensure that all neighborhoods in our area are thriving. Further, we have to start with our youngest citizens, ensuring that they get the quality care that will allow them to flourish.
- A Place for All People – It’s essential that Asheville-Buncombe become a place where all people can succeed.As a welcoming community, we especially need to embrace and engage people of color, young families and retirees.
Partners
Over 1,100 community members contributed 3,262 hours to this plan. The following are some of the organizations who participated:
AARP – North Carolina
AdventHealth
Asheville City Council
Asheville City Schools Foundation
Asheville on Bikes
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (A-B Tech)
AvL Technologies, Inc.
Biltmore Farms, LLC
Blue Ridge Community College
Brumit Restaurant Group
Buncombe County
Buncombe County Board of Commissioners
Buncombe County Schools
Buncombe Partnership for Children
Carolina Small Business Development Fund
Children First / Communities In Schools of Buncombe County
City of Asheville
Coldwell Banker King
Dogwood Health Trust
Duke Energy
Explore Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau
First Citizens Bank
French Broad Chocolates
Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority
Haywood County Chamber of Commerce
Hickory Construction Company, Inc.
Highland Brewing Company
JB Media Group
Johnson Price Sprinkle PA
Land of Sky Regional Council
Lenoir-Rhyne University Center for Graduate Studies of Asheville
McGuire, Wood & Bissette, PA
Mission Health
New Belgium Brewing
Pearsall Operating Company
Smallcakes Cupcakery & Creamery
The Van Winkle Law Firm
Thermo Fisher Scientific
UNC Asheville
UNC Asheville Family Business Forum
United Way of Asheville & Buncombe County
Western Carolina University
FAQs
Why this project? Why now?
- Asheville is at a unique juncture where its pace of growth shows no signs of stopping and it is experiencing many of the growing pains of larger metros, e.g. traffic congestion, lack of affordable housing, not enough childcare slots, not enough talent for jobs,
- This project takes all of these trends into account and looks 20 years into the future, so we have a plan that’s future-ready.
- The personnel and leadership changes at the city, county, and university levels in 2019 give us a rare opportunity to get many of the region’s key leaders on board at the same time, creating a future we all want.
How is this process – the Futures Lab – different than the Chamber’s last planning process which resulted in Asheville 5X5 and was successful?
- In traditional economic development strategic plans, the community hands the consultant a bunch of information and the consultant makes a plan from it. The Futures Lab (™) does the reverse: the consultants bring a bunch of data to the community, and the consultants facilitate a hands-on workshop so that we – the community – look at this input together and co-design a shared future vision and plan.
- Another difference is that most plans are one-year or five-year plans. We are taking a 20-year view because we know that some of the changes we need to make may take decades to take root. We are trying to plant trees that our kids can take shade under or as the proverb say, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The next best time is today.”
- A third difference is that those involved in the process will be from a wider range of community entities than in the past. AVL 5×5 involved a broad cross section of the business community. AVL Greater will involve a representation of business, non-profits, government, education, NGOs and others who may not have been traditionally involved in economic development.
- Another unique attribute is that our consultant, Rebecca Ryan, will be our “Resident Futurist” and available to work with Chamber members who are doing their own strategic planning. This will give our leaders access to new ways of thinking about the future, building their own competitiveness, and reshaping more prosperous futures.
What will the results be?
- The Chamber will have a new 5-year plan that lines up with a 20-year vision for the future.
- The community will have a 20-year vision of the future which can be used by leaders in the public, nonprofit, and private sector to drive decisions and plans.
What is strategic foresight?
Strategic foresight differs from traditional planning approaches. Strategic foresight is not about better predictions of the future. Instead, strategic foresight is about better
preparedness for different futures that are all possible and plausible. Strategic foresight calls for a systematic analysis of identifying driving forces of change before developing policies and plans. Learn more about strategic foresight.
How can I get involved?
- Follow us on social media (fb.com/ashevillechamber | @avlchamber) #avlgreater
How does this process work?
Led by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, AVL Greater brings together a wide cross-section of community members to explore trends facing our community and envision our future. Rebecca Ryan, owner of NEXT Generation Consulting, Inc., facilitated this strategic foresight process to create an intentional plan for Asheville’s future.
About Rebecca Ryan
Rebecca is the Resident Futurist at the Alliance for Innovation, a Senior Advisor at the Governing Institute, a faculty member at the Institute for Zen Leadership, the founder of Futurist Camp, the inventor of Futures Labs, and the owner of NEXT Generation Consulting, Inc.
She is the author of The Next Big Things: The Future of Local Government (2015), ReGENERATION: A Manifesto for America’s Future Leaders (2013), and Live First, Work Second: Getting Inside the Head of the Next Generation (2007). Her TEDx talk, Spring is Coming, was featured at the prestigious TEDxBeaconStreet in 2015. Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class, calls Rebecca “one of the most reliable sources for CEOs and Mayors who want to attract and keep the next generation of creative workers.”
Rebecca Ryan, trained as a futurist and an economist, Rebecca helps clients figure out “what’s next” through speaking from the stage, leading foresight processes for organizations and communities, and teaching others the science (and art) of strategic foresight.
AVL Greater Schedule
June 2018 – Rebecca Ryan and the Strategic Foresight process was introduced to more than 600 business and community leaders at the Asheville Chamber’s annual meeting.
Sept. 2018 – Key community and business leaders gather for first Futures Lab to explore trends affecting Asheville/Buncombe County and the region.
Oct. 2018 – Second Futures Lab with key community and business leaders to refine top issues, explore stories of the future and prepare vision statements.
Jan. 2019 – Public feedback survey
Jan.-Feb 2019 -Rebecca Ryan serves as Resident Futurist refining the plan and working with groups, organizations and businesses.
Spring/Summer 2019 – Final vision and economic development plan developed.
Sept. 2019 – Vision launched
Guiding Principles
Guiding Principles from the 2018-2019 Futures Labs
Open + Non judgmental, being in inquiry
Creativity
Interdependence
Fun
Collaboration – walk across aisle
Courage
Humility
The mindset shared during this process
Inclusion – these next 20 years belong to us all
Flexibility, courageous enough to change course
Optimism
Acceptance “This is where we are now”
A place for fear
Multiple realities
Commitment to long view
What we’ll produce together
Excellence – do a few things, world-class well
Authentic to who/what we are
Pragmatic – ambitious AND doable
“Up our game” – go farther, bigger, and w/quality
Measurable results