In 2010 I was asked if I would consider becoming chairman of the Oxford Civic Society. Seven years later, it’s time to reflect and pass on the baton.

The remit of the society is simply to make Oxford a better place for everyone living or working in, or visiting the region.

But as a completely voluntary charity we can only follow up on matters which the members want to work on – do research, consult others, organise meetings and events, make presentations, promote ideas, lobby for action, take action ourselves, and publicise all of these.

All of this is driven from the members, upwards, not by top-down policy-making.

The last seven years have been a constant learning curve. We all know how special Oxford is, and the more one is involved, the more remarkable it seems.

But it is also complex; the diversity of the population; the huge range of interests and priorities; the different perceptions of the place, and its setting; the relationship and interdependence of the city and its hinterland; the importance of travel and transport.

Over the years, many of the details have been filled in.

What the amazing natural and built environment really mean to life in the city; the influence of the old university and its colleges, and those of Oxford Brookes, and their aspirations for the future; the enormous expertise available in the region – intellectual, creative and practical; the business community, the characteristics of the local economy, and its relationship to that of the UK – and so on.

What has also become clearer is the underside of all this, such as the pockets of serious deprivation and the acute problems of finding and making a home, the difficulties of recruitment for almost any kind of job, the rapidly-ageing population and the struggles of schools and teachers to improve educational standards in a city renowned for its educational institutions.

Over-arching all of this is the urgent need to de-carbonise our lifestyles.

One of my realisations has been that so many issues are interconnected – every problem is part of a bigger picture, and there are no simple solutions.

Improving Oxford requires action on all fronts. When addressing national policy, as well as local, and recognising that many problems represent 40-year-old chickens coming home to roost, there are no instant remedies.

Above all, the inter-connection of everything cries out for coordinated responses, across development planning, transport, health and social care.

So, trying to ‘shape Oxford’s future’ requires a huge exercise in understanding, and moulding pieces of a jig-saw puzzle.

And a big problem is that no one seems to have the box with the picture on it.

Perhaps the most intense activity of the civic society recently has been exploring a vision for the years ahead.

Some seem to believe in an idyllic past, and to think all change abhorrent, almost by definition. I don’t accept such a nostalgic view; change is inevitable, should be used to fix our current problems, and to ensure an even better future.

We are planning for our grand-children, not ourselves. Oxford and its region could be even more wonderful than it is, and for many more, if we get things right.

A dynamic place, with a unique historic core and setting, surrounded by centres of world-class business and research, housed in dramatic, zero-energy buildings, with fulfilled and productive people enjoying creative lifestyles, and living in attractive, efficient homes in strong local communities.

The green environment would be properly protected, everywhere, to provide what is needed: good husbandry, bio-diversity, recreational opportunity and proper accessibility.

The entire region would be connected by a well-maintained digital and physical infrastructure, with frequent trains for mass transit, linked to coordinated bus services, and properly-maintained roads for zero-emissions autonomous vehicles.

Cloud-cuckoo land? We already have the knowledge and the technology to create all of this.

We have the potential for the investment, with a dynamic local economy. We even have models to emulate elsewhere.

What we still need is the collective will: The will to cooperate, the will to develop the vision, and a county-wide strategy to deliver it.

Oxford is full of people of goodwill and generosity, as well as talent – the last seven years have shown me this. So I don’t believe my personal vision is unrealistic.

The alternatives are bleak; we cannot afford, locally or nationally, to forego the opportunities.

Oxford has a wonderful heritage and wonderful resources in its institutions, its people and its natural and built environment.

We have to protect, preserve and enhance all this. But it is also very much a city of the future.

We cannot walk backwards gazing with nostalgia at the past. We should be striding forward, with frequent glances over the shoulder.