Making Harlow Happy

I live in Harlow. Recently there has been a lot of correspondence in the local papers about our image and the quality of life here. Harlow has even been labelled Grief City in response to some strikingly violent incidents and anti-social activities that look to be out of control in some areas.

Can Harlow be saved? In the absence of the sort of elaborate conspiracy theories discussed by Frank Furedi there is no conscious plan to let the town rot so that we accept an anonymous future as part of the sprawl of London. It looks like our present condition owes more to the existence of the sort of wicked problems that affect much of the UK, causing honest paralysis over difficult questions. Wicked problems arose in the area of public policy and are described as "a set of problems that cannot be resolved with traditional analytical approaches".

However, it looks like some of the recent correspondents believe that the moment has come for one of the flagship post-war New Towns to give up its identity and hope.

Is there any reason for this not to happen?

It is the nature of wicked problems that unanswered questions and chronic issues can take years to work out or never be satisfactorily resolved. One is make-or-break and needs to be dealt with immediately. It concerns hope in our future. People get involved in their neighbourhoods and work their fingers to the bone to maintain their families, homes and lives, but they find it harder when they believe that their community has failed them. We need to believe that our community is willing to protect and support our efforts. Citizens of all ages, businesses and social enterprises all need to believe that there is a commitment before they continue to spend their resources and stake their futures in Harlow.

Like many towns, amidst the squabbling of local politicians played out in our local papers, we are occasionally told that there is a blueprint for our future. How many of us understand the Harlow 20:20 vision and what it means for our town? Can we name the people who lead us and are responsible for the decisions that have such an impact on us? Visions can be inspiring but there are times when we need detail. Which schools will survive and which will be absorbed? Will our neighbourhoods survive or will some of them become no-man’s land? What are the prospects for new businesses and services?

Towns and cities can re-generate and improve the quality of life for everyone.  Glasgow and Manchester are exciting, moved-to cities with an air of optimism that encourages creative energy of the sort that is needed for progress.

The people who live, study and work here have talent, imagination and resolve. So do many of our officials. Somewhere in the daily grind of living in this town, it all seems to leak away. How can we use this creativity and energy to restore hope to Harlow? How can we pool our resources to make Harlow happy?

Copyright 2005, Tony Plant Happystance Project