He told us that the quality of the recovery was usually indicated very
soon after the disaster.
He produced a list of things that communities need to do if recovery was
to be successful.
(So how do we fare using this set of criteria?)
1. There is a clear leader.
2. Where to rebuild and where not to rebuild has been decided.
3. There is a plan.
4. There is agreement about who is responsible, and who will implement
the work.
5. Claims for losses have been lodged and mostly settled.
6. Grants for new houses are available and are being approved.
7. Money intended for the redevelopment is being used for that purpose.
I've got five pages of notes on welfare curves and decision theory and
insurance cover and game theory.
"Investor confidence is Critical."
Here is the good news.
Recovery occurs in pockets. A pinpoint of recovery, one person in your
street repainting his house, and putting in a new kitchen, sends a
signal to other people, a signal of confidence. So other people start
to tidy their properties and to invest new money in them. Soon, the
whole street is doing it, and it spreads around the block, then from
block to block.
Who's the leader in your street? Not the elected leader, the person
who's leading the talking and the planning and the investing and the
making the street livable programme. Everyone has a role to play in that
process.
Where those leaders appear, recovery begins, and success leads to
success, money and influence flows to places that are already
successful, a street, a block, a suburb, or a city.
What is the STORY we are telling each other? In the end that story
becomes what we can do together. Communities that take charge of their
own re-development outperform these that don't. Active participation is
taking ownership of the problem. Once you've done that, opportunities
for leadership will arise.
Leadership emerges, develops and is earned.
The problem of recovery is so LARGE, that the City can't handle it.
Government can't handle it either.
When neighbours get together to fix what's broken themselves, suddenly
the City, or CERA, or a government agency has someone on the spot to
work with who can be relied on the get results. In New Orleans, local
communities have taken over schools and community services and
administration of relief because the public authorities were incapable
of delivery. Church based groups have been critical to that process.
Those neighbourhoods that have the ability to come together, have the
best ability to solve problems, become excellent partners for the City
to raise funds and to get work done efficiently.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
International Speaker Series:
Canterbury University in the Central Lecture Block
Monday, Tuesday. August 29th and 30th.
Starts 9.30am to about noon.
Starts 1.30pm to about 5.30pm.
To get there, off Clyde Road go down Arts Road.
Off Creyke Road go down Forestry Road.
The lecture theatres are where those two roads meet.
Parking off Arts Road.
The display for the proposed inner city rebuilding is displayed in the
foyer.