We Need a Plan

In the early years of Hawaiian statehood, statewide planning was a popular subject. It reflected the enthusiasm of the times for building a better society, as well as the fact that planning was urgently required to manage the fragile resources of Hawaii. After experiencing rapid development in the 1960s, our society sought ways to temper and mold development to preserve the lifestyle we value so much in Hawaii. Various planning mechanisms were devised, such as the state Land Use Commission and the state Water Commission. The most ambitious effort was the Hawaii State Plan.

Over a long horizon of time, I think we have preserved air quality, water, coastline and ocean resources, open space and agricultural lands. Yet, insidiously, our mechanisms for planning have either lost focus or fallen into disuse. We have drifted through a haze of anxiety over the economy, with less and less agreement about who we are, how we are to manage ourselves and where we are going.

Curiously, as high-visibility interest in planning has waned in Hawaii, it has taken hold throughout the globe via the Sustainable Development movement. The Earth Summit in 1992 focused on two important words, sustainable development, which were reinforced by Earth Summit II last year. There is a United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, a World Business Council on Sustainable Development, a Forum on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development and many other efforts in this vein. Thinking once identified with saving endangered species has been extended to such subjects as architectural design and building materials.

We in Hawaii have many prospective partners, who see that we have done reasonably well in preserving Hawaii. Although nearly invisible, we have many ongoing efforts that deal with pieces of sustainable development. For example, we are doing important work in water and wastewater management, land-use planning, sustainable fisheries, forest and species preservation, coral reefs, alternate energy, sustainable tourism, ecotourism, appropriate technologies for Pacific Island societies, aquaculture, weather, warming and on and on. The Japan-U.S. Seminar on Sustainable Communities and Societies is coordinated by the East West Center, as is the Asia-Pacific Sustainable Development Center.

Although these efforts go on day after day, we fail to take significant advantage – certainly not full advantage — of them. With focus and leadership around the theme of sustainable development, we could be doing much more to ensure the long-term viability of our society. We could also help our economy. One early thinker defined the sustainable society as one “that recognizes the limits of growth ... and looks for alternative ways of growing.” If we were to define sustainable development as a global mission, it would be a high-quality knowledge industry.

The Hawaii State Plan of 1978 is still on the books. The State Plan, or something like it, should be reworked for the 21st century. The most important aspects are participation and the pursuit of concensus. These were structured into the Hawaii State Plan through large, inclusive task forces, organized around 12 Functional Plans. These task forces were supported by community conferences, survey research, focus groups and community dialogues. Through participation, contradictions and conflicts became manageable compromises. Although the State Plan was an initiative of my administration, wide participation significantly de-politicized the State Plan. Functional Plans were not my plans, but community-based plans.

The time may be right for us to return to this task, reinvigorated by global interest. We have an obligation to the future. I believe the future leadership of Hawaii will be exercised by whomever most sincerely and intelligently addresses the possibilities and challenges of renewing our quest for a sustainable future.

George R. Ariyoshi is president of Prince Resorts Hawaii Inc., a subsidiary of Seibu Railway Co. Ltd. An attorney by profession, Ariyoshi served in elective office in Hawaii from 1954 until 1986. A protégé of the late Gov. John A. Burns, Ariyoshi served as governor of Hawaii from 1973 until 1986. He was the first Japanese American to be elected governor in the United States. In the years since he left the state Capitol, Ariyoshi has been active in Hawaii and international business circles, particularly in Asia.

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to Hawaii Business Magazine »