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3. CREATING A VISION TO GUIDE THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF <br />SAN LEANDRO <br />Economic development is defined as the sum total of all efforts. public and private. to <br />create a positive environment for investment in the local economy. Investment in ero,.vth <br />inducing activities is encouraged in order to promote more high quality jobs. Moreover, a <br />healthv local economy will result in re -investment in the community, by the private sector. <br />as well as generate additional revenue for the public sector to meet future communit-, <br />needs. <br />Economic development. therefore, is about creating the future. To create the future it is <br />necessary to have some sense of direction and purpose --goals. objectives and policies. To <br />this end, it is necessary to have some vision of what the future might look like. For a <br />community. a vision of the future may encompass man• attributes --life style, physical <br />character. economic health, the world of work, cultural values, the quality of education. <br />life -time learning pursuits. housing, transportation. environmental integrity, and the like. <br />Formulating a vision involves a creative process based on intelligence, experience, passion <br />and knowledge. A vision builds on an understanding <br />SPECIFIC ACTIONS <br />Fig. 1: Implementing the Vision <br />their police deliberations. it will <br />community --through words. actions <br />of the forces of development in the city. A vision <br />helps create an understanding as to what kind of <br />society community members live in, what the issues <br />are and why people are concerned with them, and <br />embodies the hope of what the community --social. <br />political. economic --can become in the future. It sets <br />the context for designing and implementing myriad <br />policies and programs that. incrementally, help move <br />the community forward. <br />In shaping a vision to guide an economic development <br />program. it is important that the business, government <br />and civic leadership be involved in the process along <br />with a broad spectrum of the community The <br />visioning process begins with a single step --a group of <br />individuals pursuing a shared sense of the future. This <br />is the task San Leandro's Economic Development <br />Advison Committee (EDAC) set for itself. The <br />EDAC's vision will not only guide its members in <br />also guide ever enlarging circles within the entire <br />and leadership. <br />�� v <br />