October 16, 2007 by John Eger  

Envision 2.0 is here.  The idea of a “media partnership” to focus on those issues of most importance to the region is coming together.  This month on KPBS the issue is WATER (October 18th at 8:00 PM.)  In coming months it is housing, healthcare, methamphetamine abuse (a national scourge) and, of course, the coming elections.  Broadcasts, town halls and this blog; this new site is for you to get involved.  We need you to do so.    

The San Diego Union Tribune and its online news and information source, SignOnSanDiego.com is also launching the most aggressive community-wide effort undertaken by a newspaper anywhere starting this week.  Called SignOnRadio, (www.signonradio.com) you can talk back to the editors including Bob Kittle and Bernie Jones, listen to music, find a restaurant, or listen to a range of topics every Thursday from noon to one on a show called Envision San Diego: The Innovative Economy.  The show will be co-hosted by Dean Calbreath, a columnist for the Union Tribune and yours truly.  

How is San Diego reinventing itself ?  Who is leading the way?  What are we doing?  What must be done?  What do we need do to meet the challenges we face?  What do we do to attract, nurture and retain the most creative and innovative population we can?  We are going to talk about ourselves as a city, a county, a region and an international border as well as a diverse landscape from sea to ex-urban plains to mountains and deserts.  There are many questions for us to ask, and many more answers you can provide.  

The San Diego Business Journal is also providing a monthly Envision forum and other media outlets are planning Envision ventures.  This is just the beginning.  

When we started Envision—over three years ago—there were thousands of you who said you wanted to help our region identify those most pressing issues and get something done. We were surprised by the amount of energy it would take to get our arms around the many problems and opportunities that came rushing before us. We came to another important realization. We, the media, do not solve problems.  Our job is to shed light, and maybe some heat, on those issues that require the attention of the region.  YOU CAN, if well informed, and if you want to, make change. Let’s work together to envision a brighter future for San Diego. 

John M. Eger

Envision San Diego