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World Class Greater Philadelphia is an initiative that convenes business, nonprofit, government, and community leaders to develop and implement a strategy for ensuring a prosperous, sustainable, and authentic future for the region. Facilitated by the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, this multi-year initiative aims to position the Philadelphia region on a path to becoming a world class place to live, work, and play by the year 2026 - the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
World Class Greater Philadelphia is comprised of four major phases:
1. Benchmarking
Research on what the world views
as "world class" today and how Greater Philadelphia is perceived nationally and
internationally (completed in 2009).
2. Scenario Planning
Development of alternative future scenarios for Greater Philadelphia that stimulate broad public discourse about the region's future (Feb. 2010 - Nov. 2010).
3. Strategy Development
Based on the alternative future scenarios, creation of a Global Positioning Strategy-a "GPS"-that describes a set of short- and long-term goals to ensure a world class future for the region (Dec. 2010 - Sept. 2011).
4. Implementation
The Economy League will facilitate working groups that focus on priority strategies that emerge from the GPS and track regional progress toward shared goals (Oct. 2011 onward).
What Is Alternative Futures (or Scenario) Planning?
Scenario planning is a proven approach to strategic planning that identifies plausible alternative storylines describing the future and what it might look like. With these storylines-or scenarios-as a guide, regional business, nonprofit and government leaders can make better, more informed decisions and establish common goals and strategies. The Economy League is partnering with leading strategy firm Decision Strategies International to produce future scenarios for the Philadelphia region. Several hundred regional leaders will provide important inputs into the scenario planning process this spring through their participation in World Class Roundtables.
World Class Leadership
World Class Greater Philadelphia is led by three co-chairs:
Additional co-chairs will be named in the coming months. To join the more than 115 organizations and individuals who have committed to supporting World Class thus far, click here.
Getting Involved
There are a range of opportunities for leaders to get involved with World Class Greater Philadelphia, including providing inputs into the creation of scenarios and participating in working groups that establish regional strategic imperatives and develop action plans to achieve shared goals. To learn more about World Class and how to get involved, click here or contact Josh Sevin at 215-875-1000 x12 or jsevin@economyleague.org.
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