What should and shouldn't the future of Carlsbad include? Should the city have high-density developments or urban sprawl? What is public realm? What constitutes a community?
These are the types of questions the members of Imagine Carlsbad are attempting to answer through philosophical discussions in order to make Carlsbad the best place it can be. Established in 2005, the more than 165-member nonpartisan group meets once a month to talk about the various possibilities for Carlsbad's future.
“The purpose of the group is to provide a forum for the community to come together to understand itself and to ultimately find ways to improve the community overall,” said Gary Hill, the founder of Imagine Carlsbad. “The fun of figuring out what community is all about is once you have an answer, you have five more questions.”
Hill said the group won't take specific issues before the City Council, but does talk about conceptual and controversial issues through open dialogue, and everyone's opinion is encouraged.
Imagine Carlsbad meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month at the Carlsbad Senior Center, 799 Pine Ave. Everyone is welcome. The group is overseen by a Steering Committee and also includes two subcommittees: livable communities/sustainability and arts/culture.
Paul Thompson, who serves on the Steering Committee, said the committee ensures the group moves forward and achieves the results it pursues, but the objectives of Imagine Carlsbad “come from the ground up, they don't trickle down.” He said there is no single dominant voice that is heard because everyone has equal footing.
“This is an opportunity for everybody in the community to tangibly engage in making this a better place tomorrow than it is today,” Thompson said.
Jim Comstock, a Carlsbad resident who helped Hill start Imagine Carlsbad, also serves on the group's Steering Committee. He said the grassroots citizens' organization is interested in hearing the point of view of people of all ages and from all walks of life.
“We don't want groupthink,” he said. “We want people who bring different ideas to the table.”
Comstock said the group doesn't focus on the negative or point fingers; the emphasis is on dialoging in a positive format.
“Imagine Carlsbad channels the collective energy of the citizens,” he said. “Our mission statement is 'Creating the Future of Carlsbad Together.'”
For more information, call Gary Hill at (760) 603-4010 or visit
www.imaginecarlsbad.org.
These are the types of questions the members of Imagine Carlsbad are attempting to answer through philosophical discussions in order to make Carlsbad the best place it can be. Established in 2005, the more than 165-member nonpartisan group meets once a month to talk about the various possibilities for Carlsbad's future.
“The purpose of the group is to provide a forum for the community to come together to understand itself and to ultimately find ways to improve the community overall,” said Gary Hill, the founder of Imagine Carlsbad. “The fun of figuring out what community is all about is once you have an answer, you have five more questions.”
Hill said the group won't take specific issues before the City Council, but does talk about conceptual and controversial issues through open dialogue, and everyone's opinion is encouraged.
Imagine Carlsbad meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month at the Carlsbad Senior Center, 799 Pine Ave. Everyone is welcome. The group is overseen by a Steering Committee and also includes two subcommittees: livable communities/sustainability and arts/culture.
Paul Thompson, who serves on the Steering Committee, said the committee ensures the group moves forward and achieves the results it pursues, but the objectives of Imagine Carlsbad “come from the ground up, they don't trickle down.” He said there is no single dominant voice that is heard because everyone has equal footing.
“This is an opportunity for everybody in the community to tangibly engage in making this a better place tomorrow than it is today,” Thompson said.
Jim Comstock, a Carlsbad resident who helped Hill start Imagine Carlsbad, also serves on the group's Steering Committee. He said the grassroots citizens' organization is interested in hearing the point of view of people of all ages and from all walks of life.
“We don't want groupthink,” he said. “We want people who bring different ideas to the table.”
Comstock said the group doesn't focus on the negative or point fingers; the emphasis is on dialoging in a positive format.
“Imagine Carlsbad channels the collective energy of the citizens,” he said. “Our mission statement is 'Creating the Future of Carlsbad Together.'”
For more information, call Gary Hill at (760) 603-4010 or visit
www.imaginecarlsbad.org.