Urban change agents are cultivating a new American good life. AND IT'S HAPPENING NOW.

Video

Description: VELOCITY Secchia Institute'

Description: Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell talks about Grand Rapids cuisine and Art Prize and its potential lasting effects on the…

Description: VELOCITY day one, defining the "good life"

Description: Steve Van Andel and Doug DeVos conclude the salon and extend their gratitude to the organizers and urban change agents
Description: Carol Coletta gives the welcome message.

Description: Urban Spelunking Art Prize

Description: Overview of research on what makes a city successful

Description: VELOCITY day 2 - Answering Burning Questions
Description: Wrap up

Flickr Stream

Title: VELOCITY

Title: VELOCITY

Title: VELOCITY
Title: VELOCITY

Title: VELOCITY

Title: VELOCITY
Title: VELOCITY

Title: VELOCITY

Title: VELOCITY
Title: VELOCITY

Title: VELOCITY

Title: Interviewing Dayne Walling, Mayor of Flint, MI
Title: Old map of Grand Rapids

Title: Old map of Grand Rapids

Title: VELOCITY work notes
Title: VELOCITY

Title: Final work sessions

Title: VELOCITY
Title: VELOCITY

Title: VELOCITY

Blogging VELOCITY

Innovation: How do we create a genuine culture of innovation in our cities?

Levers: -Relationships -Trust -Language -Enabling failure -Music -Art -Openness -Transparency -Values (productivity and risk taking) Values of the Culture of Innovation: -Listening -No judgment -respect for the past -culture=doing / learning /growing -change is cool -generational permeability -comfort in ambiguity…

Innovation: How can citizens play and win in a city?

Citizens play and win when everyone is in the game. That means inviting people into public spaces, giving them access to technology, and sharing those experiences across different social groups. city service corp. and sharing new experiences. Citizens can play…

Innovation: How can cities cut the red tape to make good change happen quickly?

Minimize existing barriers to an acceptable level -reviewing ordinance -streamline process -improved citizen / customer interface (training) Establish a multi-stakeholder Innovation Action Group (Public / Private / Non-profit / comunity) -engage in a long-term innovation process -align stakeholder strategy -develops…
Innovation: How can citizens experience the extraordinary in the ordinary?

1. Game Changers -"Craig's List Urbanism" (reduce waste, efficiency) -"Co-ownership" - e.g. car sharing 2. Do it Now -Rapid Response (311) -Excavation (open house NY....) -Destination Urbanism -Location-based / information based services / "navigational dashboard" 3. Good Idea Cloud -Waterfronts…

Innovation: How do we overcome cultural sameness to create dynamic cities?

Retailers need to be local/invested in place Support entrepreneurs - "Merchants rule the street" Create public / civic space in areas of cultural intersection Pedestrian Density must be prioritized over car mobility - design streets to be more pedestrian friendly…

Innovation: How can we re-imagine essential city services to create a win for every stakeholder?

1. Shift from Institution to platform 2. Guarantee open and universal access to platform 3. Identify decentralized assets and resources and broadcasting them 4. Maximizing efficiency of service distribution through inter connectivity (recipe for success)
Innovation: We want our cities to function effectively, but we also want them to soar. What is different about a city that dares to dream?

How do we move a city from good to great? Game Changer: -Platform for connections -With infusio nof ideas to achieve the common vision Do it Now: -Buzz and administration Outcomes: -Release / organic growth of talent

Innovation: How can the city become the 21st century "freedom machine" that the automobile was of the 20th century?

New voices enabled by new media mine data about what people want " "Pruning" Government - Laws of the 80s Civil disobedience - Biking withoug permission - "Let's go do this" as creative energy Facilitating consensus -Magic doesn't make things…

Working session at the UICA

After a morning of inspirational exploration in downtown Grand Rapids, Urban Change Agents convened at the UICA to create a vision and design guidelines for a city-centered good life. The session started with eight groups, each tasked with developing their…
Innovation: How can cities be a platform for every citizen to win?

1. First step is to define the platform of winning for every citizen Some of those definitions include: -Moving forward -Psychological income -Social capital -Knowledge -Meaning -Recognition 2. Set ambitious collective goals through shared public participation along with setting goals,…

#vlct Tweets

Our gracious sponsors

Amway Meijer Cascade Engineering RDV Corp. Huntington Bank Rockford Construction Wolverine Wide Web The Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation Steelcase Paul Goebel Group The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation Seyferth & Associates Via Design Deloitte Warner Norcross & Judd LLP

VELOCITY Experts

Katherine von Jan

I help leaders understand and accelerate the happiest, healthiest future for their company and for society.…

Katherine von Jan
Brian Tafel

I'm interested in helping others discover experiences as a series of design encounters. Experiences…

Brian Tafel
Kiwa Iyobe

I advise companies about cultural trends to help them be better positioned for the future. One of the…

Kiwa Iyobe
Kristen Ashburn

I am a photographer who travels the world focusing on issues of disease, poverty and conflict.

Kristen Ashburn
Carol Coletta

Carol Coletta
Mark Kaminsky

Mark Kaminsky
Marisa Belger

I write columns and articles on health, wellness and sustainable living and I help authors write and…

Marisa Belger
Tina Roth-Eisenberg

I work mainly on my computer and design websites and web applications. I also run an online journal…

Tina Roth-Eisenberg
Robert Harris

I manage the creative process and the delivery systems that bring entertainment and information to a…

Robert Harris
Polly Labarre

I'm an author, speaker, television correspondent, and all-around storyteller who has contributed to…

Polly Labarre
Zach Frechette

Zach Frechette
Benjamin de la Pena

I support work that finds innovative solutions to the challenges of urbanization and sustainable development.…

Benjamin de la Pena
Sung Park

Sung Park
Josh McManus

In 2007, Helen Johnson and I founded CreateHere, a non-profit in Chattanooga, TN. Together with a team…

Josh McManus
Andrea Rubin

I oversee the Community Management team for Yelp.com, a website that connects people with great local…

Andrea Rubin
Jon Zeitler

Jon Zeitler
Ze Frank

i make videos, toys and games ad build collaborative online communities around them.

Ze Frank
Joseph Porcelli

I build tools and promote behaviors that help people connect to others who live, work, and serve in…

Joseph Porcelli
Andrew Blauvelt

I design books, brands, and other forms of communication that exist in printed matter or online. I also…

Andrew Blauvelt
John Adams

I create pictures. Some help people sell their products, some let people see parts of the world they…

John Adams
Carlos W. Anderson

I dismantle walls of separation and division, seemingly dividing people of different religions, races,…

Carlos W. Anderson
Brian Baker

Brian Baker
Carmita Vaughan

Carmita Vaughan
Gary Wozniak

I create ideas and projects to help recovering people rebuild their lives AND rebuild largely abandonded…

Gary Wozniak
Dayne Walling

I go to work every day to make the lives of people all across the city just a little bit better. My…

Dayne Walling
Hunter Tura

I bring people and projects together.

Hunter Tura
Mark Hamm

I focus daily on leading efforts to change what's possible. Our team of many talents and backgrounds…

Mark Hamm
Dana Cho

I put people at the the center when helping organizations consider their brand, services and ways of…

Dana Cho
Karin Bacon

Karin Bacon
Chris Levendos

My team's job is to rewire all of New York City with fiber optics.

Chris Levendos
Gordon Pennington

I am principally and functionally a coach, a visual concert conductor, and a conceptual translator.…

Gordon Pennington
Aaron Renn

I am looking for ways that Midwestern cities can thrive and find sustainable success in the 21st century…

Aaron Renn
Joyce Bromber

I lead a group of Human Centered Design Researchers who want to deeply understand Work, Workers and…

Joyce Bromber
Jonathan Weiner

I try to understand what consumers and customers need to make their lives better and then help to develop…

Jonathan Weiner
Suzanne Walsh

Suzanne Walsh
Michael Counts

Michael Counts
Jay Parkinson

I am a physician who founded Hello Health: “It’s part electronic medical record, part practice-management…

Jay Parkinson
Stephan Rogers

I started a company to help with the climate change problem. A woman scientist found a microbe that…

Stephan Rogers
John Norquist

John Norquist
Timothy Anderson-Haley

I assist companies and individuals make connections with others, so that they can accomplish their goals.…

Timothy Anderson-Haley
Jon Moroney

As a professional in the design community at Tiger Studio, I work with companies in several industries…

Jon Moroney
Christopher Reyes

Christopher Reyes
Joe Cortright

Joe Cortright
Kristi Lowenthal

Kristi Lowenthal
Mike Youngblood

I often describe myself as a "design ethnographer" – a label that normally requires some explanation.…

Mike Youngblood
Ariane Kempken

I am a professional learner. I watch people's everyday life, learn from what I see and help think up…

Ariane Kempken
Susan Benton

It is my responsibility to provide the table around which the right discussions are launched with the…

Susan Benton
Maria Aiolova

Maria Aiolova
Seth Goldenberg

Seth Goldenberg
Glenn Armstrong

Glenn Armstrong
Kathryn Armstrong

Kathryn Armstrong
Peter Benkendorf

I am a catalyst for developing and deploying unique and compelling programs that actively engage the…

Peter Benkendorf
Ric Geyer

We envision and implement innovative solutions - which means, "We fix things". And by digging deep inside…

Ric Geyer
Jeanne Suggs

I bring the creative talent together to bring an idea or script to life. I organize the production,…

Jeanne Suggs

Urban change agents are cultivating a new American good life. AND IT'S HAPPENING NOW.

Video

Flickr Stream

Blogging VELOCITY

#vlct Tweets

Our gracious sponsors

VELOCITY Experts

Katherine von Jan

Brian Tafel

Kiwa Iyobe

Kristen Ashburn

Carol Coletta

Mark Kaminsky

Marisa Belger

Tina Roth-Eisenberg

Robert Harris

Polly Labarre

Zach Frechette

Benjamin de la Pena

Sung Park

Josh McManus

Andrea Rubin

Jon Zeitler

Ze Frank

Joseph Porcelli

Andrew Blauvelt

John Adams

Carlos W. Anderson

Brian Baker

Carmita Vaughan

Gary Wozniak

Dayne Walling

Hunter Tura

Mark Hamm

Dana Cho

Karin Bacon

Chris Levendos

Gordon Pennington

Aaron Renn

Joyce Bromber

Jonathan Weiner

Suzanne Walsh

Michael Counts

Jay Parkinson

Stephan Rogers

John Norquist

Timothy Anderson-Haley

Jon Moroney

Christopher Reyes

Joe Cortright

Kristi Lowenthal

Mike Youngblood

Ariane Kempken

Susan Benton

Maria Aiolova

Seth Goldenberg

Glenn Armstrong

Kathryn Armstrong

Peter Benkendorf

Ric Geyer

Jeanne Suggs