A black hole somewhere out there in outer space.

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Between August 22 and October 30, we are being asked to submit our big ideas for the future. Already 222 ideas have been submitted. That's great. But what happens after October 30?

My guess is that all of the ideas will be compiled, summarized, vetted inside and outside of City Hall, and prioritized. Some – but certainly not all – will be incorporated into the General Plan. That's the goal of THIS citizen engagement exercise.

But what happens to the rest that do not rise to the top or are not related to General Plan components or processes... but are still cool ideas? We cannot just let them fall into a black hole.

My idea is this. Start mulling avenues for interesting ideas that did not make it into the General Plan to be given new life. Then let people know there is a "second chance" for their idea(s) to be considered and implemented through another mechanism. Below are examples I came up with. I have a hunch there are more.

• Change by Us Phoenix ~ http://changebyusphx.org/
• HandsOn Greater Phoenix ~ http://www.handsonphoenix.org/
• Public Allies Arizona ~ http://lodestar.asu.edu/leadership/publicalliesaz
• RetroPHX ~ http://www.retrophx.com/
• Volunteer Phoenix ~ http://www.myvolunteerphoenix.org/

A recap, update, and continuing next steps can be presented at multiple events, including Phoenix Urban Design Week in April 2013: http://www.phxudw.com/