Community Policy

At first I was shocked when I read the first section of the Community Based Marketing book -information based campaigns don’t work.  Wow!  Numerous studies have proven that education alone has little to no impact.  And, the idea that we only need to provide something according to economic self-interest has also been largely proven unsuccessful.  There has been so much money and time spent on developing campaigns such as this that this fact is difficult to digest.  However, what it tells me is that in many cases we have been and are still heading in the wrong direction.  Changing behavior or shifting culture is difficult and doesn’t rely solely on education and money.

So, if we don’t change because we know it is better or it financially pays off, how are we going to actually shift behavior?  This leads into the topics covered in Chapter 3 in Roseland - community policy.  I’ve tried to understand what allows some places to become those unique fabulous places while others don’t.  One location that comes to mind is Sanibel Island, with its lack of tacky signage, annoying lighting, obtrusive billboards, etc.  Sanibel didn’t become this way because each and every business owner said; we are going to do this to better the environment of Sanibel.  True, some may have done exactly this, but I’m betting the majority of businesses have done it because they were required.  Many businesses would prefer the lighting and large signage to increase visibility and thus increase business.  Sanibel is the way it is because of the policies that are in place to actually protect what makes it special.

Then, I think about my hometown of Columbus, IN.  For those of you that don’t know, Columbus is prized for its architecture- prized so much that it actually ranks 6^th in the United States for architectural innovation and design by the American Institute of Architects.  (If you have never been, I recommend you take a day trip and go on the architecture tour, or wait a few months and go on the architecture tour by bike we are trying to organize).  Columbus became the special place it is because one man had a vision- J. Irwin Miller.  That one man had a lot of money and worked tirelessly to create the beautiful spaces.  Because of the historic architecture, some of the buildings have been protected and maintained. However, what about the rest of the City?  Why is everything not as well planned and designed as the North Christian Church?  In my opinion it comes down to the community policies.  The current policies have allowed for urban sprawl, big box stores, few trees, etc.

If a visionary like J. Irwin Miller had such a passion, why wasn’t this passion carried out into all elements of the community?  We must change the policies in order to change our culture.  It is human nature to do otherwise.  Trust me, people in Columbus prize the architecture- but money, time, convenience, and creativity also play a large role in development.  No one will tell you they love the Wal-mart, Menard’s and Sam’s Club sprawl development that has occurred west of town, but they allowed it to happen. 

If we are to change policies in order to shift our culture into more sustainable living, how are we going to undo what has already been done?  And, is it sustainable to do so?  We have turned precious agriculture land into neighborhoods connected to nothing.  In order to connect them to something we have to take up even more precious agricultural land.  Yes, maybe our current community policies address the new and the redeveloped, but what about the mistakes that have already been made?  Policy will have to address those areas in order to truly shift culture, because shifting culture does not happen if it is only occurs within a small portion of a society.