Speeches
Vision for Gainesville 2030
(Initial draft proposed by Commissioner Donovan; adopted by the City Commission, November 2008)
Gainesville will be a vibrant city in healthy economic, social, and environmental relationship with our region, where we each live in safe and supportive community near recreation, wilderness, shopping, and our schools and jobs.
In order to fulfill this vision, we the citizens and community of Gainesville, Florida, will meet the following goals by the year 2030:
Goals for being in healthy economic, social, and environmental relationship with our region
- Operate responsive, efficient and accountable government
- Restore lost essential natural resources (eg, water systems, soil, air, species)
- Protect existing essential natural resources (with humility about our understanding of what’s essential)
- Identify sustainable population level given local natural resources and zone accordingly
- Maximize partnerships for community well-being
- Strengthen joint visioning within county and region for improving quality of life
- Promote economic development that is clean, innovative, and beneficial for each municipality.
- Maximize conservation of resources through efficiency, recycling and reuse.
- Appreciate and encourage each community’s contributions to the county and region.
- Maximize personal responsibility for the well-being of Creation.
Goals for being a community safe and supportive for everyone
- Insure strong successful families through sufficient school and community counseling services.
- Insure pre-emptive intervention to support and strengthen troubled families and children.
- Publicize our community’s interwoven stories of diverse origins and common hopes.
- Maintain community-wide dialogue to share our visions, aspirations, and expectations.
- Provide on-going community-wide training in leadership and participation.
- Provide on-going education on healthy neighborhood functioning.
- Invest in neighborhood amenities.
- Provide adequate resources in every school for a high minimum achievement for every student.
- Promote recognition of the struggles and contributions of every citizen and generation.
- Promote life-long learning and opportunity to contribute.
Goals for having every residence near recreation, wilderness, shopping and our schools and jobs
- Establish compact, walkable community centers that provide a welcoming sense of place.
- Maximize walking, biking, mass transit usage, and connectivity in our transportation system.
- Enhance central locales for our major cultural, economic and leisure features.
- Insure affordable housing for every income in every neighborhood.
- Provide natural and recreational spaces near every neighborhood.