Advice on City Building

Paul O’Connor, former head of World Business Chicago and one of the smartest urbanists around, was my guest for a recent video conference.  Paul always has provocative things to say. Reviewing my notes of our conversation tonight on a flight from LaGuardia to Chicago that I almost missed, I was stuck by these comments:

“The only moral justification for economic development is to grow the pie for everybody.”  This was Paul’s response to my question about how Chicago’s large poor population affected economic development for the city and specifically World Business Chicago.  How many guys in charge of building a city’s global reputation would even consider the moral justification of the job, let alone believe that his organization’s reason for being is to bring poor people into the mainstream?

“We have to turn what are now wasted assets into usable assets.”  Paul has a very practical way of expressing what he believes ought to be the city’s reason for developing human capital.

“Branding is a vehicle to move a city from where it is aspires to be.”  Oh, if only all cities thought of branding in this way.
“The danger in branding is to become overly prescriptive.”

 “Branding is communication that motivates and localizes.”

 “Every city needs to inventory its assets.  What do you have?  Talent, intellectual capital, business establishments, physical infrastructure and who is willing to step up?”  Note that last item.  Who is willing to step up?  Leadership will less likely come from those with position than from those who are willing.  Which relates to the next point…

“Young people have to be asked to participate in building the city. There is no more ‘born to the manor’ in urban leadership.”  Of course, you wouldn’t know it from today’s politics, but his point is well made.  If a city treats leadership as an exercise in family succession, it risks perpetuating the same tired culture.  And, worse, it keeps new blood at bay.

“The smartest move Chicago made in the past 20 years was to rebuild its core as a fun place to live. That attracted the young people which subsequently changed downtown and Chicago.”

Wise advice on city-building.

  

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