Fort Wayne – Forty years ago, the 46807 ZIP code was, you could say, the place to live in Fort Wayne.

It’s where mayors, lawyers and doctors lived, and CEOs and newspaper owners called 46807 home as well. People built homes there whose value now approach $1 million, although they’re surrounded by more modest neighborhoods and small businesses.

It’s 2011, though, and some homes in the area are pushing 80 years old. It’s an old part of town, some would say, and some sections are tired.

A lot of people still love the area, though.

It still has its CEOs, doctors, mayors and lawyers, as well as a glut of artists and musicians and generally creative people. And then I live there too.

Not long ago a push, paid for by a grant from JPMorgan Chase, was begun to make the area more exciting.

In a way it sounds abstract. Organizers use terms like “appreciative inquiry.” They talk about interviewers and interviewees.

It’s really pretty simple, though. What does the area offer that its residents like? What does the area have that the community could make use of to make the area even better? What do residents want to see more of?

The movement, if you want to call it that, started with what was called a quality-of-life planning summit at the Philmore on Broadway.

Only 30 people showed up at the April 30 summit, which organizers say was disappointing. They were hoping for 100. But the people who did come were passionate and motivated. They were doers and planners, and they came with ideas.

After five hours, the crowd of 30 had come up with 16 different areas of action, ideas that participants developed.

Now the goal is to get more people involved. The effort – called “Do You Love 46807?” – seeks people who are willing to interview other residents, and the organizers also want residents to get involved by spending an hour talking about what they want to see in the future.

In other words, the goal is to get residents to take charge and make things happen that they want.

In a way, that’s the opposite of the way things normally work.

Sometimes, residents gather to focus on negatives, to discuss problems that areas have. Events like that, though, usually turn into gripe sessions, says John Steinbach, a volunteer who is helping head up “Do You Love 46807?” Gatherings like that can turn into bloodlettings, he says.

Or powers that be sitting somewhere else decide what an area needs and then inform residents what will happen to them.

If residents pitch in and talk about what an area has to offer, ideas begin to flow. People get to talk about what they’d like to see happen. People who like a particular idea get to jump in and help.

The process is slow. It’s not like flipping a switch and suddenly all the lights come on, Steinbach said. It’s more like turning up the thermostat in a cold room. Gradually the temperature rises until you realize the room is warm.

The program has produced a video that can be seen on YouTube by doing a search for 46807.

It was funded by the grant from JPMorgan Chase and produced entirely by people in the 46807 ZIP code.

Meanwhile, Steinbach said, “We’re in big need of someone who can do a good website.”

People who are interested in getting involved or just being interviewed about their ideas can contact Pat Turner at 416-9683 or email her at pturner@pathfinderservices.org