An initiative kicked off Tuesday in Cleveland to develop a new vision for the city’s future.
The Cleveland Rising Summit is a three day event that draws together a large group of citizens to brainstorm.
The process is led, in part, by Case Western Reserve University professor David Cooperrider, developer of a technique to facilitate innovation in businesses and community groups.
Cooperrider said ‘Appreciative Inquiry’ builds consensus across political and racial divides.
“And what we’re experimenting with in this large group Appreciative Inquiry process, is that there’s a third kind of leadership and a maybe a peek at the next stage of democracy,” says Cooperrider.
That third kind of leadership, he says, is neither top down, or bottom up, but emerges from the group.
Around 600 people are taking part in the Cleveland Rising Summit, which ends on Thursday.
City leaders hope to incorporate some of the goals from the conference into the city’s long-range planning.
