Omaha By Design: Omaha, Only Better

by Ken Mayer

Recently I attended an information session about part of my neighborhood being designated an Area of Civic Importance (ACI) in accordance with The Urban Design Element of Omaha’s master plan. Civic, in this case, meant the area would become a special overlay zoning district that would improve and maintain the quality of its urban design. Seems like a good idea.

But as session unfolded, I began to feel as though I was surrounded by people determined to protect their respective territory. Property owners concerned only about their land and buildings, neighborhood association representatives defending their initiatives and representatives of the city fending off every issue except those related to the ACI.

The proceedings got me thinking about the other meaning of the word “civic.” That is, connected with the duties and obligations of belonging to a community. Seems to me we don’t do that kind of civic very well anymore.

Most of the ACI meeting attendees appeared to be Baby Boomers as am I, so their behavior seemed familiar. No surprise here, we Boomers have been indulged most of our lives and have come to expect to get our way. We are such a large generation that some of us think we need not study history, we simply make our own.

Trouble is, times have changed. A while back, as I lectured one of my classes at UNO, it struck me that I was looking into the faces of young people who were about the same age on Sept. 11th, 2001, as my parents were on Dec. 7th, 1941. Further, it looks as though our current economic downturn could be the worst since the Great Depression.

Could it be those same crises that forged the character of the Great Generation had returned to anneal a new generation? Is it possible that the grandchildren of that civic generation will become the next civic generation because the big wheel of history has come full circle?

I think maybe it has, and we Boomers need to pay attention and learn a thing or two from the kids about this business of being civic. Call them Generation Y, the Millennials, the Echo Boom, it seems to me that they are:

• Confident, sometimes beyond their competence. You’ve got to earn their respect. If they don’t feel you value them, they will move on.

• Demanding, with high expectations of themselves. They will work hard and will be direct.· Cooperative, often preferring to work as a team rather than independently.

• Fun loving and interested in balancing careers with hobbies, interests and family.

And best of all, they are civic-minded. Community service has been part of their lives, and they are volunteering at a pace greater than any generation before them. They expect their companies and organizations to contribute to their communities and care about the environment.

I’ve never been a parent, and I don’t feel particularly old, but sometimes I do feel like I ought to get out of the way or at least yield to this generation. We Boomers know a lot, but what we know might not always be what’s best for our community these days.

Seems like the kids are better equipped to play today’s game. So I, for one, will watch and learn – to be more civic.