Aspects of Community Life (ACLs)

Background and Root Question

Preliminary discussions were held with a number of people in the community representing different spheres of influence and walks of life, to get their thoughts on what Lexington-Fayette County needs to address in a visioning exercise. From those discussions, three major themes surfaced:

  1. This community has great potential, but continues to experience symptoms of past divisiveness.
  2. There is the lack of a common, shared community vision for the future.
  3. Creating that vision can help move the community forward, and this is a great time to do it.

All of the collective input can be bound up into one, simple root question that the community needs to answer at this time, and which is expressed in Destination 2040 as follows:

How will we protect all that we value while continuing to grow as a community?

This answer to this question will be sought through the visioning exercise, as citizens are engaged in a common discussion format, and this root question is applied over four broad aspects of community life, shown below.

Four Aspects of Community Life (ACLs)

A community is made up of many diverse but interconnected elements. Trying to have a meaningful discussion about a city’s future, with all of the complicated structures and connections, can seem overwhelming. To simplify the way Destination 2040 participants can have such a complex discussion, Lexington’s community life will be divided into four basic categories, called Aspects of Community Life (or ACLs). While many elements may overlap into more than one of these broad aspects, each element will primarily fit beneath one of the aspects, based on the following logical descriptions. This will help to ensure that the community discussion covers the whole range of community life, while dividing it into simpler, more easily understood segments.

In thinking about the four ACL’s, there are certain overarching, inherent values that must be woven through each, in order to achieve a community vision that reflects a shared sense of purpose that is broadly held, truly inclusive and deeply rooted. These inherent values are defined as follows:

Inclusiveness:
All parts of the community are sought out and included in the visioning exercise, with a respect for the dignity and worth of each person, and value given to all thoughts and ideas that are generated.
Expansive Thinking:
Participants are asked to stretch their thinking beyond the current set of known circumstances, to be anticipatory, imaginative, and creative in developing thoughts and ideas for solutions or new ways of working together.
Social Impacts:
The impacts of ideas and solutions take into account those individuals who are most in need, who are traditionally under-represented, and impacts of future change are not applied disproportionately to any segment of the population.
Environmental Impacts:
The impacts of ideas and solutions take into account the community’s natural and built environments so as to preserve and / or protect where necessary, and impacts of future changes improve upon current conditions wherever possible.

Aspect 1 - Human Needs

Definition
This aspect includes elements with a primary impact upon meeting essential human needs, and maintaining ongoing viability of human habitation. The only elements listed here are those that must be present, or people will move elsewhere.
Community Elements Included
  • Adequate, safe, affordable housing
  • Governmental services – citizen safety & welfare
  • Adequate nutrition
  • Protection of natural resources
  • Medical services / health care
  • Adequate treated water supply
  • Educational opportunity
  • Spiritual Life of Community / Religious Expression

Aspect 2 - Physical Growth

Definition
This aspect includes elements with a primary impact on the city’s existing physical capacities for housing, commerce, and public life within the defined geographic boundaries.
Community Elements Included
  • Population growth
  • Transportation alternatives
  • Land use decisions
  • Public facilities such as parks, schools, libraries
  • Planned urban growth areas
  • Infill and redevelopment
  • Green building - Sustainability
  • Infrastructure - roads / utilities
  • Preservation of natural and built environments

Aspect 3 - Economic Expansion

Definition
This aspect includes elements with a primary impact of protecting or creating opportunities for commerce, employment, and producing and keeping a well-educated / well-paid work force
Community Elements Included
  • New or existing business expansion
  • Workforce training and education
  • Institutions of higher education as economic engines
  • Stable employment / adequate wages
  • Universities as an economic engine
  • Regional cooperation
  • Business recruitment strategies / methods
  • Agricultural industry
  • Entrepreneurship and innovative partnerships / programs
  • Stabilization of government revenues
  • Generation of new markets or products

Aspect 4 - Cultural Creativity

Definition
This aspect includes elements with a primary impact of defining who we are and how we are known as a people and a community, providing a rich environment for arts and entertainment, promotion of tourism, and community branding.
Community Elements Included
  • Control and use of community brand
  • Attraction of tourism
  • Performing arts facilities
  • Development of an arts/entertainment district
  • Cultural / heritage facilities
  • Public art
  • Arts education / access to training & equipment
  • Diverse cultural offerings / events