Edina seeks a youthful viewpoint on its future

When Edina wanted thoughts on the city's future, it went to a group that will be shaping the future: students at Edina High School.

More than 150 Edina students took part Monday in "Vision Edina," a four-month community outreach program that will influence upcoming revisions to the city's comprehensive plan and capital improvement plan.

"The voices of people like yourselves are critical as we think about the future," said David Beurle, a consultant working with the city to gather public input on Edina's long-term direction.

The students were the first group to see the results of several recent "think tank" meetings conducted throughout the city by Beurle's firm, Future iQ Partners. In those sessions, a wide range of Edina residents came up with possible scenarios for the city's future.

In general, the choices boiled down to a couple of possible directions. Should Edina remain as it is — a traditional suburb, focused on single-family housing, quality of life and education? Or should it become more urban and connected to the larger metro area, with expanded transit options, increased multifamily housing and a more diverse population?

The students discussed the research in small groups and filled out a detailed questionnaire with their views, which will be shared with city officials.

Several students spoke in favor of Edina retaining its current character. It ain't broke, they reasoned, so why fix it?

Her friend, Caroline Kelly, agreed.

"It's not about being a city," she said. "It's about parks and schools and having a supportive community. That's one of the reasons you move to Edina."

Several teachers are incorporating Vision Edina into their classroom curriculum.

"My kids are all looking for authentic projects," said Chris Dalki, a sociology teacher. "Just last week, we launched a project to look at what the future of Edina High School could look like, so this fits in very well."

Julie Rogers Bascom, service-learning coordinator for Edina Public Schools, said the opportunity to take part in real-world exercises is an important experience for the students.

Lydia Reiner, an Edina sophomore, said she imagines the future of Edina will be much as it is today. "I've observed that the residents are set in their ways and would tend to resist change," she said.