How can a city reinvent itself when a big anchor company relocates away from its birth-place?

Eindhoven in the Netherlands is exploring just that question. Work is underway to develop a ‘creative city’ with the aim of bringing new life to the neighborhood.

When The Netherlands’ largest redevelopment project is completed in 15 years time, it is envisioned that “Eindhoven will have a second town centre, where its citizens can live, work, teach, shop, and enjoy entertainment facilities, that is worthy of a major city.”

The goal is to transform the Strijp-S area into a "Creative City" and make Eindhoven a leading centre for innovation in technology and design.

Certain buildings have been filled with young entrepreneurs taking advantage of the cheap rents and the site houses a skate park, the PopEi music institute.  Work is underway for a theatre, cultural centre and museum.

Philips will continue to contribute to the ‘city of lights’ with large scale experimental urban lighting projects, including illuminating road surfaces, a "light gate" at the entrance to the neighborhood, pavement systems that light up when buses approach, and a main street lit only by fixtures installed in trees and facades.

CityPatron is an interesting experiment on the potential of crowdsourcing for supporting people to contribute their ideas and efforts to their cities.  It aims to generate start-up capital for city-focused projects, based on a business model of patronage.

Here’s the idea: 

CityBuilders who have a track record of creating public value for the city will be selected.  They will “post a profile and, importantly, a program of work. This program will outline what they propose to do for the funding or patronage they receive. CityPatrons will then support the CityBuilder of their choice, pledging $5, $10, $20, $50 or $100 a month for one year. In return, the CityBuilder will provide his or her patrons with a monthly newsletter that chronicles their work, and invitations to special events held periodically throughout the year.

“If this works as we intend, CityPatrons will get to support a program of work they believe in, and share in the CityBuilder's creative process and success. CityBuilders get access to the resources they need to get on with their work, creating a better, livelier city.”

As the site says:  This is an idea. It’s a beta.

Have a look at the experiment and contribute your feedback here.

Seventy years ago GM's Futurama generated a compelling vision that spawned a new American ideal of a spacious, car-centered good life. We now know that paradigm no longer provides opportunity, exacerbates climate change and is diminishing our quality of life.  It is simply not sustainable.

We now have an urgent reason to define a new dream of opportunity and freedom.

CEOs for Cities in partnership with urban change agents across the nation is launching the US initiative, a program to build and sustain the next generation of great American cities, cities that are of by and for US.

We have forged a Declaration of Interdependence based on values we believe will make our cities more equitable and resilient:

Most Americans live in cities. And when that many people come together, things get done and anything can happen.  Together we can make things better for each and all of us.

We hold these values to be self-sustaining:

Opportunity                                                       

We can develop our talents and put them to use.

Community                                                                       

We can engage in a robust public life.

Accessibility                                                     

We can go where we need to go without a car.

Livability                                                                       

We can enjoy beauty and nature every day.

Optimism                                                                       

We can imagine a better future for everybody.

Do your part to create cities that are of, by and for US by voting for this initiative to receive critical support from the Pepsi Refresh Project.

Greg Lindsay just launched a new column in Fast Company entitled "The Master Plan" focused on how we create more livable and environmentally sustainable communities. In his first article he states: "If we want to change the spatial fix of America, we will either have to change the underlying conditions to make density more profitable, or find someone enlightened who can work within the existing system. Realistically, we'll need more of both."

As noted in the article, Walking the Walk shows that the market is now demanding housing stock in more compact, walkable neighborhoods and paying premiums for the benefits offered by urban living. However current "tax codes, zoning, community boards, and financing are a straightjacket" on developers who want to serve this market with dense, mixed-use developments.

Public policies need to catch up to the market in order to take advantage of this opportunity. The benefits go beyond reinvestment in our cities.  Walkable neighborhoods mean a reduction of our dependence on foreign oil, a market-driven solution to fight climate change, improvement in health, and strengthening of our communities.

Our collegue Kim Walesh, Chief Strategist for the City of San Jose, highlighted three key forces of change that the city should aim to harness in a presentation to the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce recently.

The three forces, summarized in this recap in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, are:

• “The battle for talent will escalate, with young professionals age 20 to 24 being the key to prosperity. They're highly educated, mobile and at the entrepreneurial stage of life. Where they live is a higher priority than what they do for a living, unlike baby boomers, who accepted the ‘I've been moved’ way of life. Immigrants are essential for work force growth; more than half the founders of Silicon Valley tech companies are foreign-born. Only 33 percent of households have children now; that number will drop to 27 percent by 2030.

• “To compete globally, cities must have educated workers. By 2025, two of every five jobs will require a college degree. California is unprepared, and there's a 40 percent gap in earnings between college graduates and non-graduates. Right-brain thinking, the creativity developed by the arts, will be necessary to succeed.
  If the work force is lower-skilled, our economy will be less productive and our incomes will be lower.

• “Cities can provide environmental solutions by planning for walkability instead of cars. Homes in neighborhoods with above-average walkability, like San Francisco and Sacramento, command a $30,000 premium. The average household today drives 21,000 miles a year. Redesigning cities like Portland for more walking and less driving is saving families $2 billion a year that can go into the local economy.”

As Kim eloquently phrased it: "People are looking to cities as places of opportunity and interaction.”

More information on the substantial economic gains that can result from increasing a city’s talent is shown in the Talent Dividend – a $124 billion gain from raising college attainment rates by one percentage point.  And CEOs for Cities latest study, Walking the Walk, details the greater real estate values associated with walkability.

The Association of Architecture Organizations has posted the audio of a keynote presentation delivered by our President and CEO Carol Coletta for their 2009 AAO Conference.

Visit this site to hear Carol’s talk on issues around architecture and design as a catalyst for change as leaders strive to create the next generation of great American cities.

The Congress for New Urbanism has joined the effort to change the lending practices, particularly of government backed mortgage agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, that discourage investment in Main Streets, in downtowns and in other revitalizing mixed-use neighborhoods.

CNU adds their voice to that of House Financial Services Committee Chair Barney Frank, who recently called for the replacement of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s programs with a new approach to Federal involvement in mortgage lending.

And the evidence suggested for the new policy?

CNU President and CEO John Norquist points to CEOs for Cities research with Joe Cortright, Driven to the Brink, that shows high-transportation costs in exurban locations helped pop the housing bubble, and the subsequent study, Walking the Walk, which showed housing in more centrally located, walkable neighborhoods holds greater real estate value.

See the article here.

This great video features our colleague and Senior Advisor Joe Cortright who recently spoke with leaders in Akron about ‘Attracting Talent Through the Development of Vibrant Urban Centers’.

Speaking as part of the Urban Innovators Speaker Series, Joe shared his insights on the ongoing transformation in the U.S. to a knowledge economy, the importance of the City Vitals - talent, innovations, connections, distinctiveness - to the success of cities, and how these things come together for urban vitality.

Joe highlights the big opportunities we have, despite the economic challenges, to change the path of the nation through our cities and talent.  

Amen.

If you’re interested in the full presentation, it is shown here. 

Learn more about the City Vitals here.

Building on the work of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design to transform communities by preparing mayors to be the chief urban designers of their cities, the National Endowment for the Arts has announced a new initiative to assist mayors in their design efforts.

The NEA Mayors' Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative will support diverse projects across the country in communities of all sizes. Projects may include planning, design, and arts engagement activities.

Launching the initiative at the United States Conference of Mayors, NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman highlighted the role of smart design, artists and arts organizations as place-makers.

"Artists are entrepreneurs, small businessmen all, great place-makers and community builders. Bring artists into the center of town and that town changes profoundly. We know now that people do not migrate to businesses. It is businesses that will move to where they can find a skilled, motivated, educated workforce. And what does that workforce look for? In survey after survey, the answer is education and culture."

Application to MICD 25 is open to the 600 cities (or their designees) that have participated in the MICD since 1986 or are committed to participate in an institute in 2010.

See the Chairman’s speech here and more information on the initiative and application guidelines here.

Our MyCity colleague from Seoul and St. Louis, Daron Dierkes has started this interesting discussion on city income taxes.

With the state of Missouri currently assessing whether cities throughout the state should have the ability to collect income tax from their residents, Daron looks at the impact this could have on St. Louis and Kansas City.  It could mean a 40% reduction in St. Louis’ operating budget, and such an abrupt change would only amplify the impact.

What is the tax structure in your city?  How has that affected attracting and retaining people, jobs and spending in the city?

Join the conversation here.