For the past two months, we have interviewed more than 50 people across the city working in education, business, government, heritage, culture and the voluntary sector to gain a greater understanding of Portsmouth.

The aim of the 'Creative Thinker' programme is to help Portsmouth's leaders and residents to think clearly about their future potential – and the issues we need to address if we are to succeed in the future.

We're going to get the debate going with these articles in The News and invite you to have your say. Our findings will be pulled together for a presentation at a public event on the future of the city in February.

The first thing we'd like to say is to thank everyone we've spoken to so far for being so open, honest and helpful. There are many people who have a real passion for Portsmouth and a desire to see it succeed in the future.

Without doubt, Portsmouth has been great in the past. You could argue that centuries of naval life and its role in protecting the realm is unsurpassed anywhere else in the country. Remnants of the past still exist to be proud of in the future.

The Mary Rose, for example, is a unique gem of world-class standing and should be exploited to increase the wealth and reputation of the city for generations to come.

But we have also sensed a downside to this. Has the culture of the navy perhaps held people back? Its control through rules and regulations has created a defensive, deferential and inward-looking attitude – like a strict parent controlling a child to the point where their sense of curiosity, imagination, creativity, entrepreneurship and self-reliance is almost lost.

We see this manifested in many ways:

Portsmouth has seen low educational attainment, confidence and self-
esteem in the past. We sense a mistrust of anything too intellectual in some parts of the city

There is a confused sense of identity and lack of clarity about where you want to go in the future.

We're not sure yet whether there's an unwillingness to think longer-term and be more strategic, or whether it's more about a lack of skills and knowledge. What do you think?

We know you are ready to have what we call an 'urban conversation' – and we want to help you to think and act differently so you can do different things to make a big difference!

So, we are going to ask you a few questions to get the debate going and would love it if you would e-mail or write back to The News with your thoughts and ideas.
Claire Chidley, Charles Landry

What do you think...
...about the issues raised by Portsmouth's 'creative thinkers'? Here's how you can have your say.

COMMENT: You can register (see top of the page) and leave your comments directly on this site.

E-MAIL US your views at yourcity@thenews.co.uk to let us know what you think. We will publish a selection of your comments.

WRITE to us at Your City, Your Future, The News Centre, London Road, Hilsea, PO9 2SX.

In other stories in this section, we ask you to focus on particular aspects of your city. And having thought about the issues
raised there, what is your honest assessment of Portsmouth's capabilities as a city?