If you’re receiving this, it’s because we’ve crossed paths — or because I admire the work you’re doing to create community impact, whether through climate resilience, mobility, economic development, or urban innovation.

Nader Afzalan, Ph.D.

Founder and CEO, The Triangle

Endowed Chair of Social Justice & Visiting Professor, University of California Berkeley

We Fetishize the What and Forget the How.

So, How Do We Implement California’s Recently Published Economic Blueprint?

We too often focus on the “what”. We come up with big, bold ambitions like building three millions of new housing units, attracting two new industry clusters, or reducing emissions by 15%. But rarely do we spend enough time and resources on clarifying how we’ll actually get there.

We should start with the intended outcomes and work backwards. That requires designing the detailed steps, partnerships, and metrics needed to turn vision into reality.

California’s recently published Economic Blueprint is a perfect example, and, a great start! It’s a much-needed document. Believe it or not, the state didn’t have a formal economic roadmap until now. Strange, but true. So, it’s great to see this blueprint.

Now, California has the “what” — a clear North Star focused on creating good-paying jobs, supporting regional growth, investing in future sectors, and driving innovation.

But this blueprint is just a starting point. It defines the destination (The What)—it still doesn’t map the journey (The How).

The Blueprint outlines priorities and sectors. California still needs to hash out the how:

• Clarify specific, measurable outcomes to guide action.

• Map feasinble pathways connecting strategies to those outcomes.

• Design success metrics and tracking methods across regions and sectors.

• Clarify how efforts will align with California’s existing policies, programs, and legislations. We do have tons of them in California!

The Economic Blueprint is a strong foundation, and now the real work begins.
It’s time to focus on how we’ll get there—because aspirations alone don’t create jobs, grow industries, or deliver equity.

The blueprint shows potential. It shows the what.
An operational plan makes it real. It shows the how.

The Triangle’s Corner is where we share practical ideas to help focus on real outcomes—whether it's building climate resilience, supporting just communities, or creating smarter cities.

Nader Afzalan, Ph.D.

Founder and CEO, The Triangle

Endowed Chair of Social Justice & Visiting Professor, UC Berkeley