We recently partnered with the Ridgetop neighborhood association here in Austin to explore what’s been holding back the co-creation of a much needed neighborhood vision for planned change.
Ridgetop is adjacent to Airport Highway, a blighted stretch of road stuck in a 1950’s era of development dilapidated through time, intermixed with overgrown surface lots and barbed wire fencing. Not exactly the type of place you see people walking around. However this stretch of Airport Highway and the neighborhood sit between 2 prime pieces of real estate – the “new urbanism” Mueller development to the southeast and Highland Mall to the northwest. Highland Mall is a vacant mall in the heart of Austin, ripe for significant investment and redevelopment. Ridgetop leaders are keenly aware of the opportunity their location between these two areas presents. Yet they’ve struggled to align city, county and neighborhood stakeholders to a clear vision for a walkable, inviting neighborhood with a strong sense of place.
Throughout our dialogue with neighborhood, it quickly became apparent how similar their challenges are to the hurdles many organizations face when trying to innovate. 3 recurring themes emerged:
Experiential Outcomes
Most organizations begin innovation efforts within functional silos that predetermine the solution to achieve a desired business outcome. Think of a new product or ad campaign, which in isolation, neither result in a brand experience that sustains growth. While Ridgetop certainly has some great bones to build from, their greatest challenge will be maintaining focus on the daily experiences and interactions the community hopes to achieve. The starting point for change is experience, not assets. Their aspirational experience will help stakeholders figure out how to best deploy existing assets and determine which new assets to acquire.
Tools and Frameworks
Many organizations lack the tools and frameworks necessary to enable cross functional collaboration and alignment to insights and ideas. In many ways, Ridgetop finds itself in a similar predicament. It’s very difficult to co-create a shared vision, let alone build consensus goals across a broad range of stakeholders spanning citizen leaders, residents, local businesses, and city/county governments. The neighborhood is taking a major step forward by looking into the world of brand innovation where co-creation tools and share platforms have been deployed with success for some time.
Change Agent
Without people who, not only want change, but are in a position of authority to make change, most innovation efforts face an uphill battle. Change agents have the power to open doors and unlock the resources necessary to make change. While neighborhood leaders are passionate and energetic about their cause, one of the key steps they’ll need to undertake is building a union coalition that includes a change agent. Traditionally neighborhood change agents originate from government, however we’re beginning to see non-profits and social funding platforms fill this role.
We are extremely happy to hear that Austin city council member Chris Riley has recently stepped up to fill the role of change agent, directing the city manager and staff, “to identify funding opportunities and develop a proposed process for a form-based code planning initiative along a segment of Airport Boulevard, that will serve as a pilot project for corridor redevelopment.”
