Northern Great Plains Inc. and a group of 25 rural leaders convened the Meadowlark Project Leadership Laboratory to look at the future of our region and find innovative ways to make sure it is a positive one for everyone living here.
They created a series of scenarios of what could be possible in 2050 that include allusions to decisions made between now and then that lead to success or failure in the future. I especially enjoyed the technology-focused scenario, “A Tech-no-color World”. Here are my favorite highlights from the scenario:
- Congress created the Federal Department of Transportation and Communications (FDTC) in recognition that the Internet was really a part of the transportation system as the “virtual highway of information.”
- “Minnesota Technology Universal Access Act” guaranteed every Minnesotan a laptop computer and wireless access within three years.
- The “author” was planning to see the final Rolling Stones concert (in 2050).
Issues that come up in the scenario, which is a brief dialog between two brothers, include the difference between living in an almost-too-tech focused urban area where nature has been replaced by video screens of nature and living in a rural area, which focuses on arts and nature but risks disappearing.
Northern Great Plains plans to convene 60 community dialogues around the region during the next six months to discuss this scenario (and 3 others). You can learn more on the Meadowlark Project web site.
