News

Your Omaha 2020 - A Vision for Our City

Published: 2/25/2010

The Your Omaha 2020 process was initiated by the Greater Omaha Young Professionals in partnership with All About Omaha, GOglbt Professionals, Next Generation Omaha, Omaha Jaycees, Unversity of Nebraska at Omaha Young Alumni, Urban League Young Professionals and Young Jewish Omaha.

Passing by and acknowledging a dozen familiar faces among those commonly seen on your 10-minute sidewalk commute, you arrive home for a change of clothes after work. Next up is an hour-long meeting of a nonprofit board of directors that you have served on for two years. The agency office is two blocks away in a space above one of your favorite food stores. Following the meeting you stop in the market to grab some coffee and a light meal before heading downtown to meet a friend at a highly anticipated show. Utilizing public transportation to get there, you meet your friend who has just walked over from a nearby condo. Neither of you have driven your car today. In that regard, you haven't used your car since you visited your parents over the weekend.

Does this scenario describe a typical Omahan in his or her 20s or 30s? Probably not today, but it may by 2020 if the voices of Omaha's young professionals are heard.

On Nov. 10, over 300 young professionals from across the metro area, came together to develop their vision for Omaha in 2020. The Your Omaha 2020 process was initiated by the Greater Omaha Young Professionals in partnership with All About Omaha, GOglbt Professionals, Next Generation Omaha, Omaha Jaycees, Unversity of Nebraska at Omaha Young Alumni, Urban League Young Professionals and Young Jewish Omaha.

The following items summarize the themes that emerged during the Your Omaha 2020 vision process:

• Improvements to public transportation options, whether via a new light rail system or through significant enhancements to the current Metro Area Transit system, are viewed as essential.
• Smaller mixed-use, mixed-income developments throughout the city within walking-distance of retail, entertainment and employment options will make our city more inclusive and will reduce our dependence on cars.
• The creation of a city-wide art master plan will acknowledge the importance that the arts and cultural events have on our quality of life and will leverage resources to implement such a plan.
• Seeking out and incorporating young professionals' voices as decisions are made that impact the future of our city will decrease a sense of disengagement among young professionals and demonstrate that our city values differences of opinion.

Your Omaha 2020 results will be shared with community leaders and stakeholders and will be incorporated into the 2010 Young Professionals Summit.

Your Omaha 2020 is meant to be used as a road map for area young professionals and community leaders when looking at current and future growth and development of our city. Any one person or group can use the information to incorporate a broader young professional's voice or to inspire new projects or initiatives. View the full report.

Your Omaha 2020 is our vision and our roadmap. You are welcome to be a part of the continued dialogue through RallyOmaha.com.

It is anticipated Your Omaha 2020 will continue to spark dialogue and create change for years to come.