The city of Fargo, North Dakota continues to recover from the recent flooding:
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/235870/
What makes a community? All the elements are in this one story about this one place: elected officials, city leaders, police officers, fire fighters, hospitals, churches and, above all, citizens. All of these people worked together during this crisis. By all accounts, they did an exceptional job of both handling the crisis and carrying on with normal business. As the article notes, the hospital even delivered several babies in the past few days.
In communities like Fargo, the business of living goes on.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Daily Blog: Fargo Comes Together
As the Red River continues to rise up, so too are the people of Fargo, North Dakota.
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/world/Rising-Red-River-threatens-Fargo.5119414.jp
In response to one of the worst floods in memory, this city of 90,000 is mobilizing and fighting back. A crisis can bring people together in a way that success cannot. And that's what's happening in Fargo as countless people help pile sandbags. According to this article, the president took note:
"We will do what must be done to help," the President said. He repeatedly praised volunteers stockpiling sandbags and building levees, saying "their service isn't just inspirational – it's integral to our response."
Fargo's actions remind us that the people closest to the problem often constitute the best response.
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/world/Rising-Red-River-threatens-Fargo.5119414.jp
In response to one of the worst floods in memory, this city of 90,000 is mobilizing and fighting back. A crisis can bring people together in a way that success cannot. And that's what's happening in Fargo as countless people help pile sandbags. According to this article, the president took note:
"We will do what must be done to help," the President said. He repeatedly praised volunteers stockpiling sandbags and building levees, saying "their service isn't just inspirational – it's integral to our response."
Fargo's actions remind us that the people closest to the problem often constitute the best response.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Weekly Column: Regarding Milford
“The town’s golden age lasted until World War II, after which, as Americans took to fast cars and the new interstate highways, the tourist trade began to slacken.”
How many four- and five-figure cities could use those words to describe a sad turn-of-events in the telling of their history? Unfortunately, in too many cases such a demise is viewed as irreversible.
Perhaps that’s why a story of rebirth captures our attention and justifies three and one-half pages in a major travel magazine.
Between stories about Copenhagen and Miami Beach, John Berendt “charts the resurgence of a great American village” – Milford, Pennsylvania.
The 2000 census reported Milford’s population as 1,104. Towns larger than Milford have been known to give up on their future thinking their “golden age” has long since passed – never to return.
Such is apparently not the case in Milford. Even though, “as far as the outside world was concerned, Milford all but slipped out of sight,” there were at least a few who believed Milford was well positioned for a comeback.
James Michener once wrote, “In every city there is some great idea waiting to be done with distinction.” He was correct, regarding Milford.
This story of rebirth recounts the “dilapidated, 120-year-old Italianate . . . Hotel Fauchére” re-emerging in a 21st century splendor that rivals its days in the “golden age.”
Other historic buildings have been restored, and there is no shortage of possibilities (of the 655 buildings in Milford’s historic district, 400 have been declared “historically significant”). And the momentum is building as sidewalks are improved, trees planted and “old-style streetlamps” installed.
Today, Milford is a place where the summer never ends and vacations are extended.
Milford’s story is a story that should give hope and courage to those in other four- and five-figure cities who are contemplating a turnaround for their town.
After seeing what has happened in Milford, as John Berendt wrote, “Perhaps it really is possible to live, forward-looking, with a lingering aura of another time.”
For the full story please see http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/a-tour-of-milford-pennsylvania
How many four- and five-figure cities could use those words to describe a sad turn-of-events in the telling of their history? Unfortunately, in too many cases such a demise is viewed as irreversible.
Perhaps that’s why a story of rebirth captures our attention and justifies three and one-half pages in a major travel magazine.
Between stories about Copenhagen and Miami Beach, John Berendt “charts the resurgence of a great American village” – Milford, Pennsylvania.
The 2000 census reported Milford’s population as 1,104. Towns larger than Milford have been known to give up on their future thinking their “golden age” has long since passed – never to return.
Such is apparently not the case in Milford. Even though, “as far as the outside world was concerned, Milford all but slipped out of sight,” there were at least a few who believed Milford was well positioned for a comeback.
James Michener once wrote, “In every city there is some great idea waiting to be done with distinction.” He was correct, regarding Milford.
This story of rebirth recounts the “dilapidated, 120-year-old Italianate . . . Hotel Fauchére” re-emerging in a 21st century splendor that rivals its days in the “golden age.”
Other historic buildings have been restored, and there is no shortage of possibilities (of the 655 buildings in Milford’s historic district, 400 have been declared “historically significant”). And the momentum is building as sidewalks are improved, trees planted and “old-style streetlamps” installed.
Today, Milford is a place where the summer never ends and vacations are extended.
Milford’s story is a story that should give hope and courage to those in other four- and five-figure cities who are contemplating a turnaround for their town.
After seeing what has happened in Milford, as John Berendt wrote, “Perhaps it really is possible to live, forward-looking, with a lingering aura of another time.”
For the full story please see http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/a-tour-of-milford-pennsylvania
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Daily Blog: Elsewhere, USA Part II
The Forbes, February 16, 2009 issue reports on Dalton Conley’s new book, Elsewhere, USA, as foreseeing a new type of town:
"Expect 'total institution' corporate towns, which will look something like a cross between the employee-coddling Google-plex in Mountain View, California and the 19th-century mining town where the company provided the grocery store, the school and even the church."
The extent to which this prediction is accurate remains to be seen. But one thing is certain and has been true for quite some time: The quality of caring that exists on the part of a city for the companies that locate there is extremely important.
Technology continues to change the degree of freedom of workers to make decisions about how, when and where they will work. As a result the option to live or locate “Elsewhere” is an increasing possibility.
Read further about Elsewhere, USA at http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0216/022.html
"Expect 'total institution' corporate towns, which will look something like a cross between the employee-coddling Google-plex in Mountain View, California and the 19th-century mining town where the company provided the grocery store, the school and even the church."
The extent to which this prediction is accurate remains to be seen. But one thing is certain and has been true for quite some time: The quality of caring that exists on the part of a city for the companies that locate there is extremely important.
Technology continues to change the degree of freedom of workers to make decisions about how, when and where they will work. As a result the option to live or locate “Elsewhere” is an increasing possibility.
Read further about Elsewhere, USA at http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0216/022.html
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Daily Blog: Elsewhere USA
For the past several weeks in my hometown of Abilene, Texas the city-wide United Way campaign has touted a two-word message: Live United.
It’s nice advice, if one is interested in the notion of building a strong spirit of community. But as a goal, it’s not easily reached. One of the reasons, among many, is the ongoing challenge of using the new developments in technology in ways that are not harmful to the community.
Dalton Conley, a sociologist at New York University, has titled his new book Elsewhere, USA, suggesting some things we should consider about the way we live and work.
Among his observations, Conley says many of today’s working professionals are becoming “intraviduals” – a term he uses to describe “a new breed of modern American who struggles to manage multiple data streams and competing impulses and even selves.”
To the extent that this description captures those who live in our cities, we face an increasing challenge: How do we control the flow of information so that it serves as a contribution, and not an interruption, to community?
Read further about Elsewhere, USA at http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0216/022.html
It’s nice advice, if one is interested in the notion of building a strong spirit of community. But as a goal, it’s not easily reached. One of the reasons, among many, is the ongoing challenge of using the new developments in technology in ways that are not harmful to the community.
Dalton Conley, a sociologist at New York University, has titled his new book Elsewhere, USA, suggesting some things we should consider about the way we live and work.
Among his observations, Conley says many of today’s working professionals are becoming “intraviduals” – a term he uses to describe “a new breed of modern American who struggles to manage multiple data streams and competing impulses and even selves.”
To the extent that this description captures those who live in our cities, we face an increasing challenge: How do we control the flow of information so that it serves as a contribution, and not an interruption, to community?
Read further about Elsewhere, USA at http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0216/022.html
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Daily Blog: Tuscaloosa Remembers a Great Teacher
How much impact can one teacher have? A lot. This week, Tuscaloosa, Alabama remembered Bessie Asbury, a woman who taught school for 46 years:
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20090324/NEWS/903239933/1007?Title=Long-time-teacher-inspired-many
Ms. Asbury taught at Holt High School. And though she has gone, her impact remains. This was a woman who helped African-American teachers during integration, for example. And one of her students was a troubled, young quarterback named Joe Namath. The talented athlete was struggling with his grades when Ms. Asbury began mentoring him. Thanks to her help, Namath's grades improved and he went on to to fame at the University of Alabama and the NFL. On Monday, Namath showed up for her funeral.
There are great teachers in every city. But in a mid-sized city, a teacher can have an even greater impact. Thousands of kids left Ms. Asbury's classroom and went on to make Tuscaloosa (and other places) a better community.
Henry Adams was referring to teachers like Bessie Asbury when he wrote that a teacher "affects eternity" because she never knows where her "influence stops."
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20090324/NEWS/903239933/1007?Title=Long-time-teacher-inspired-many
Ms. Asbury taught at Holt High School. And though she has gone, her impact remains. This was a woman who helped African-American teachers during integration, for example. And one of her students was a troubled, young quarterback named Joe Namath. The talented athlete was struggling with his grades when Ms. Asbury began mentoring him. Thanks to her help, Namath's grades improved and he went on to to fame at the University of Alabama and the NFL. On Monday, Namath showed up for her funeral.
There are great teachers in every city. But in a mid-sized city, a teacher can have an even greater impact. Thousands of kids left Ms. Asbury's classroom and went on to make Tuscaloosa (and other places) a better community.
Henry Adams was referring to teachers like Bessie Asbury when he wrote that a teacher "affects eternity" because she never knows where her "influence stops."
Monday, March 23, 2009
Daily Blog: Dubuque Fights Back
Dubuque, Iowa is a classic mid-sized city. Nearly 60,000 residents live there. Unfortunately, a number of gangs also live there:
http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=237280
But Dubuque is fighting back. Realizing that crime impacts everyone, the city has decided that fighting gang crime is too big for just the police. And so the city has launched a community-wide effort to make the city safer and more livable. According the Dubuque Telegraph Herald:
"The Dubuque Police Department employs a 'community-oriented philosophy.' Officers try to form ties to the community before crime occurs, to break down barriers between neighborhoods and the department."
The city has even gone so far as to host a "Gangs 101" seminar to help other communities learn how to work together to fight crime.
Mid-sized cities like Dubuque offer an important reminder that communities work best when communities work together.
http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=237280
But Dubuque is fighting back. Realizing that crime impacts everyone, the city has decided that fighting gang crime is too big for just the police. And so the city has launched a community-wide effort to make the city safer and more livable. According the Dubuque Telegraph Herald:
"The Dubuque Police Department employs a 'community-oriented philosophy.' Officers try to form ties to the community before crime occurs, to break down barriers between neighborhoods and the department."
The city has even gone so far as to host a "Gangs 101" seminar to help other communities learn how to work together to fight crime.
Mid-sized cities like Dubuque offer an important reminder that communities work best when communities work together.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Weekly Column: Remembering Paul Harvey...and His Hometown
A few weeks ago, America lost a pioneer broadcaster...and Tulsa, Oklahoma lost a favorite son.
Paul Harvey's relationship with his hometown was not always warm. When he was growing up, the city in Eastern Oklahoma had fewer than 40,000 residents. It was too small for a young man with big dreams. And so he left Tulsa; but Tulsa never left him. The kindness, friendliness and yes, even the voice, all owed to his hometown.
But in later years, Harvey fell out of love with Tulsa. He feared it was more a city than a community; he worried about new developments crowding out old parks. But in mid-life, an event occurred that allowed him to see his old city in a new light. His beloved mother became ill. And during the illness, he came to know his hometown as if for the first time. While he still mourned that Tulsa wasn't as small as it used to be, he came to embrace its growth and change. He began to learn that a community is not defined by its size alone.
Below is an article Harvey wrote in the 1960s paying tribute both the old Tulsa and the new Tulsa. It's a moving description of how a city can change yet remain a community.
No apologies
by: PAUL HARVEY
My hometown is Tulsa. I had never denied it, but in recent years I haven't boasted about it.
If asked I half apologetically said, "...but it doesn't seem like home anymore. Tulsa is a 'little New York' now."
That part was true. The familiar rumble of streetcars has long since ceased along East Fifth Place.
Ike's Chili Parlor had grown from a stool-and-counter diner to two fancy restaurants, one reset in suburban surroundings.
Those were the days when "cold war" was what happened every ice hockey season. Now the old Coliseum is gone and a parking lot marks its place.
"No," I explained, "with the buildings of glass and the sprawling spectacular shopping centers, it doesn't seem like home anymore."
For 25 years I have been in Tulsa only for those rare and brief visits which a busy son allows for the girl who will always be his first and most lasting — but most neglected — love.
The wonderful reassurance that mother and the old house would always be there gave substance to my self-confidence. Whatever storms, there was always a shelter "back home"
Then the phone rang. My "indestructible" mother was going to the hospital.
When the surgery is of a kind where you're playing for keeps, you want the best of everything.
"Fly specialists from everywhere," I instructed. "Move mother to the most modern hospital anywhere," I decreed.
But the thorough check by trusted medical authorities in Chicago revealed a strange and startling thing: Doctors of greater skill, hospitals with more modern equipment, more competent staffs — are not available anywhere.
The best of surgery, facilities and care — the best — is now to be had right in my hometown.
I have watched American towns, so eager to become cities, with much reservation and some foreboding.
Particularly in the South, I (was) saddened to see the parks become used car lots, the live oaks uprooted for industrial expansion, the villages consolidated or annexed or otherwise merged into one big jungle of belching smokestacks.
Suddenly I am aware that it takes such concentration of resources to afford the more complete library, the improved airport, the better-equipped schools and hospitals.
The ultra modern banks and the streamlined post office and the fat phone books and parking meters I have resented for altering the "character" of my old hometown were all part of the progress that had so upgraded this "little New York" that the ultimate in everything is available.
Those were the "good old days"' these are the "good new days!"
And it is interesting that mother had two special wishes for as long as I can remember: that she would live in good health until she died, and that I would someday move closer to Tulsa.
She did and I have.
"What is your hometown?" I expect to be asked again.
I will not apologize again. In the years ahead, I will reply, instead, "I'm from Tulsa. It's a fine, modern city!"
http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/printerfriendlystory.aspx?articleid=20090303_222_A12_Editor306854
Paul Harvey's relationship with his hometown was not always warm. When he was growing up, the city in Eastern Oklahoma had fewer than 40,000 residents. It was too small for a young man with big dreams. And so he left Tulsa; but Tulsa never left him. The kindness, friendliness and yes, even the voice, all owed to his hometown.
But in later years, Harvey fell out of love with Tulsa. He feared it was more a city than a community; he worried about new developments crowding out old parks. But in mid-life, an event occurred that allowed him to see his old city in a new light. His beloved mother became ill. And during the illness, he came to know his hometown as if for the first time. While he still mourned that Tulsa wasn't as small as it used to be, he came to embrace its growth and change. He began to learn that a community is not defined by its size alone.
Below is an article Harvey wrote in the 1960s paying tribute both the old Tulsa and the new Tulsa. It's a moving description of how a city can change yet remain a community.
No apologies
by: PAUL HARVEY
My hometown is Tulsa. I had never denied it, but in recent years I haven't boasted about it.
If asked I half apologetically said, "...but it doesn't seem like home anymore. Tulsa is a 'little New York' now."
That part was true. The familiar rumble of streetcars has long since ceased along East Fifth Place.
Ike's Chili Parlor had grown from a stool-and-counter diner to two fancy restaurants, one reset in suburban surroundings.
Those were the days when "cold war" was what happened every ice hockey season. Now the old Coliseum is gone and a parking lot marks its place.
"No," I explained, "with the buildings of glass and the sprawling spectacular shopping centers, it doesn't seem like home anymore."
For 25 years I have been in Tulsa only for those rare and brief visits which a busy son allows for the girl who will always be his first and most lasting — but most neglected — love.
The wonderful reassurance that mother and the old house would always be there gave substance to my self-confidence. Whatever storms, there was always a shelter "back home"
Then the phone rang. My "indestructible" mother was going to the hospital.
When the surgery is of a kind where you're playing for keeps, you want the best of everything.
"Fly specialists from everywhere," I instructed. "Move mother to the most modern hospital anywhere," I decreed.
But the thorough check by trusted medical authorities in Chicago revealed a strange and startling thing: Doctors of greater skill, hospitals with more modern equipment, more competent staffs — are not available anywhere.
The best of surgery, facilities and care — the best — is now to be had right in my hometown.
I have watched American towns, so eager to become cities, with much reservation and some foreboding.
Particularly in the South, I (was) saddened to see the parks become used car lots, the live oaks uprooted for industrial expansion, the villages consolidated or annexed or otherwise merged into one big jungle of belching smokestacks.
Suddenly I am aware that it takes such concentration of resources to afford the more complete library, the improved airport, the better-equipped schools and hospitals.
The ultra modern banks and the streamlined post office and the fat phone books and parking meters I have resented for altering the "character" of my old hometown were all part of the progress that had so upgraded this "little New York" that the ultimate in everything is available.
Those were the "good old days"' these are the "good new days!"
And it is interesting that mother had two special wishes for as long as I can remember: that she would live in good health until she died, and that I would someday move closer to Tulsa.
She did and I have.
"What is your hometown?" I expect to be asked again.
I will not apologize again. In the years ahead, I will reply, instead, "I'm from Tulsa. It's a fine, modern city!"
http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/printerfriendlystory.aspx?articleid=20090303_222_A12_Editor306854
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Daily Blog: Measuring a City's Intangibles
In Keith Bellows’ introduction to a special section on “Our Cities” in the March 2009 National Geographic Traveler he writes, “a great city exudes 'cityness,' that intangible something derived from its own unique DNA – what it looks like, where it is, the way it surprises and excites us, what it produces, how it conducts life and engages the rest of the world, and the expression of what its people want from it and give to it. Of course, it’s those people who are the essence of a city’s soul and spirit.”
Over the years there have been many attempts to analyze the components of the urban places where people live. In one sentence Bellows has provided something of an eight-point checklist. Only one of the items is not susceptible to material change – “where it is.”
Other than “location,” all of the other items are subject to change – either positive or negative – over time. These are the items that lend themselves to enhancement, thus making a city more distinctive and appealing. Those who care about their city would likely find some ideas for improvement by asking themselves, “How are we doing?” on these seven items.
Over the years there have been many attempts to analyze the components of the urban places where people live. In one sentence Bellows has provided something of an eight-point checklist. Only one of the items is not susceptible to material change – “where it is.”
Other than “location,” all of the other items are subject to change – either positive or negative – over time. These are the items that lend themselves to enhancement, thus making a city more distinctive and appealing. Those who care about their city would likely find some ideas for improvement by asking themselves, “How are we doing?” on these seven items.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Daily Blog: A Century for all Cities
Splashed across the cover of the March 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler are the words, "The Magic of the City--Celebrating the Urban Places That Captivate Us."
Inside, the story begins "Welcome to the Century of the City." Nine years into this century we are reminded that in the year 2000 we were told that for the first time in history the majority of the world's population is urban rather than rural. And the urban growth is increasing rapidly. In the article, editor Keith Bellows predicts "within six years New York will no longer be among the world's five largest cities, which will likely be Tokyo, Dhaka, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, and Delhi."
While the big cities get most of the press and the headlines, a very important reminder was encapsulated in the next sentence--"A great city, though, isn't defined by size."
Quantity doesn't--and never has--defined quality. There is much to say about the more than 14,000 four-and five-figure cities of America and thousands more around the world.
After all, Bellows writes, "Tenney, Minnesota, with only five inhabitants is technically classified as a city."
Inside, the story begins "Welcome to the Century of the City." Nine years into this century we are reminded that in the year 2000 we were told that for the first time in history the majority of the world's population is urban rather than rural. And the urban growth is increasing rapidly. In the article, editor Keith Bellows predicts "within six years New York will no longer be among the world's five largest cities, which will likely be Tokyo, Dhaka, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, and Delhi."
While the big cities get most of the press and the headlines, a very important reminder was encapsulated in the next sentence--"A great city, though, isn't defined by size."
Quantity doesn't--and never has--defined quality. There is much to say about the more than 14,000 four-and five-figure cities of America and thousands more around the world.
After all, Bellows writes, "Tenney, Minnesota, with only five inhabitants is technically classified as a city."
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Mid-sized Cities Look to Broadband
In the past, one of the attractions of a metropolitan area was that it afforded better amenities. But that's changing. Today, thanks to technology, many comforts once found in big cities can now be found in other places as well.
One of the biggest changes in the past few years has been the expansion of broadband technology into outlier areas. Broadband access has the potential to transform life in mid-sized cities. How? By erasing geographic limits and letting folks get online to get instant access to information. This is already changing health care, education and commerce in smaller communities around the nation.
Today's Flagstaff newspaper contains a story about efforts in that mid-sized city to take advantage of an Obama administration broadband initiative:
http://azdailysun.com/articles/2009/03/17/news/local/20090317_local_192861.txt
Simply put, broadband expansion is key to job-creation in mid-sized cities.
One of the biggest changes in the past few years has been the expansion of broadband technology into outlier areas. Broadband access has the potential to transform life in mid-sized cities. How? By erasing geographic limits and letting folks get online to get instant access to information. This is already changing health care, education and commerce in smaller communities around the nation.
Today's Flagstaff newspaper contains a story about efforts in that mid-sized city to take advantage of an Obama administration broadband initiative:
http://azdailysun.com/articles/2009/03/17/news/local/20090317_local_192861.txt
Simply put, broadband expansion is key to job-creation in mid-sized cities.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Daily Blog: Gettysburg Opens House Where Lincoln Slept...and Wrote
A few weeks ago, the National Park Service opened a new museum in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: The David Wills House.
The house itself sits in the middle of town. It was the home of David Wills, a prominent Gettysburg lawyer during the Civil War who proposed to create a cemetery and invited Lincoln to speak at the ceremony. To Wills' surprise, Lincoln agreed. And the night before he delivered the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln stayed in Wills' house:
The museum itself is a sight to behold: nearly every piece of furniture in Lincoln's room is original. When a visitor steps in this room, he can see it exactly as it was in November, 1863 when Lincoln stayed and wrote there.
The David Wills museum, combined with the new visitors' center at the battlefield, make Gettysburg, Pennsylvania a place to see for tourists and history buffs.
The house itself sits in the middle of town. It was the home of David Wills, a prominent Gettysburg lawyer during the Civil War who proposed to create a cemetery and invited Lincoln to speak at the ceremony. To Wills' surprise, Lincoln agreed. And the night before he delivered the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln stayed in Wills' house:
"David Wills, the lawyer who invited Lincoln to make 'a few appropriate remarks' at the dedication, offered his and his wife’s own bedroom in their home on the town square.
It was in that room, historians agree, that Lincoln put the final touches on the Gettysburg Address."The museum itself is a sight to behold: nearly every piece of furniture in Lincoln's room is original. When a visitor steps in this room, he can see it exactly as it was in November, 1863 when Lincoln stayed and wrote there.
The David Wills museum, combined with the new visitors' center at the battlefield, make Gettysburg, Pennsylvania a place to see for tourists and history buffs.
Friday, March 13, 2009
NEW MIDDLE CITIES MONITOR FORMAT
Big news! Starting next Monday, the Middle Cities Monitor will have a new format. On Mondays through Thursdays, we will blog about news stories in the four- and five-figure cities. On Fridays, we will have a column about the mid-sized cities and their impact on America.
We look forward to this next phase of our work. And we look forward to your comments.
We look forward to this next phase of our work. And we look forward to your comments.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
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