Well, we may get the ‘space’ to take advantage of our opportunities or external events may greatly limit what we can do. I’ll just comment on the former scenario. I imagine Ashland in ten years as a more vibrant and creative city than it is now. I see OSF as even more of a national treasure because of the success of its new leadership and especially the American plays project (commissioning 37 new plays in American history). And I see this latter theme dove-tailing with Ashland’s becoming a town rich in sustainability opportunities of all kinds, so that it is one of the places to come to as this country re-invents itself. The practical side of sustainability will complement the rediscovery of our mission as a country, presented through drama.
The community itself will have a larger proportion of families with school age children and will have more, better paying jobs that attract graduates of the high school and (extremely popular) University to stay in the area. I see the success of “Sustainable Ashland”, along with creative solutions like co-housing and building workforce housing on land owned by employers, as having eased the gap between what people earn and their cost of housing. And lastly I see Ashland being part of an international network of cities that are leading the way in living more harmoniously on this earth.
