The Power of Exchange

Economist Paul Romer has been a tenured professor at Stanford University for quite some time.

Through years of research and study he has come upon some new ideas for cities and the role cities play in rebuilding the economy, reducing unemployment, assisting developing nations and reducing poverty.

The two central concepts upon which all of his plans are based are not really new: stable rules and mutually beneficial exchange.

Romer believes that the cities which embody these two concepts have done more to bring about “a greater end to poverty than all the aid ever given.”

While Romer is focusing his plan on the larger population centers, his single operational principal is worthy of consideration for the leaders of cities of all sizes: Romer says, “I’m trying to harness the most powerful force on the planet: mutually beneficial exchange.”

Read more at Forbes, September 21, 2009, p. 38.

Lexington, Virginia

Budget Travel magazine just released its list of America's Coolest Small Towns and Lexington, Virginia made the cut:

http://www.newsleader.com/article/20090928/NEWS01/90928004

What constitutes a "cool" town? According to the article:

“Every now and then, you stumble upon a town that’s gotten everything right—great coffee, food with character, shop owners with purpose."

Lexington is all that and much more. The town is home to some great history. Both Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson are buried there. And the George Marshall Museum keeps the legacy alive for the great soldier and diplomat who guided World War II policy and then helped rebuild Europe.

So the next time you're in Western Virginia, stop by Lexington and experience some history.

Arkansaw, Wisconsin

Some 1399 people live in Arkansaw, Wisconsin. But thanks to a recent challenge, they are now united as one:

http://www.weau.com/home/headlines/62262312.html

After a recent flood, the people in the town joined hands to help rebuild their community and renew their commitment to one another:

"The response has just been overwhelming, very heartfelt,' says flood victim Gina Tomlinson. Tomlinson says she's blown away by the love and support her friends and neighbors have shown her since floods severely damaged her home, and much of the town of Arkansaw back in August."

Be sure to click on the link and watch the video. This is what community looks like.

Old Philadelphia: A Lesson from the Ages

Too often, it seems, the leaders of a city tend to think the solutions to their problems must come from within their own city.

It is refreshing to see a city looking beyond itself to find new ideas and solutions. (See the September 3 blog on Oaxaca and the surrounding towns that worked out a regional solution to “market days.”)

But the regional (or multi-city) approach is not a new idea.

On the east side of the Sea of Galilee, ten cities linked their fortunes and became forever known as “the Decapolis” (in Greek: Ten Cities).

“For the most part, the Decapolis cities owed their existence to the Hellenistic era . . . which followed the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. Each was founded, or modeled, on Greek principles and culture instead of the indigenous Semitic.”

The term reached such a level of popular usage that in addition to referring to each of the ten cities, the entire region was known as the Decapolis.

While “each of these cities functioned as a city-state (polis) within the overall empire of Rome . . . . Though never a formal federation or union, it is likely that the cities were commercially associated, joined by Roman roads making trade easier. The view within each city was that it was “free” or autonomous” . . . yet they were truly semi-autonomous.

Population estimates of the Decapolis cities include numbers such as 4,000 and 20,000. “A larger Decapolis city may have, also, jointly shared, or controlled, some territory with a smaller neighboring Decapolis city.”

During the first 200 years A.D. the Decapolis cities continued to flourish and Damascus and Philadelphia (Amman) grew into major international cities. Today, the ancient ruins mark the sites of most of these cities.

The other eight are worthy of recognition:

Raphana (Abila, Jordan)
Scythopolis (Beth-Shean, Israel)
Gadara (Umm Qais, Jordan)
Hippus (Hippos, Israel)
Dion (Jordan)
Pella (Jordan)
Gerasa (Jerash, Jordan)
Canatha (Qanawat, Syria

Ten cities, who discovered a timeless insight: semi-autonomous can be better than autonomous or, cooperation can yield success that cannot be realized through competition.

Source: The Cities of the Decapolis, BibleIsTrue.com (Lion Tracks Ministries)

Florence and Stanley: Two "Places of a Lifetime"

The National Geographic Traveler October 2009 issue celebrated its 29th anniversary by listing 50 “Places of a Lifetime.”

Included among the “Urban Spaces” was, not surprisingly, Florence, Italy.
In the “Country Unbound” section was the Sawtooth Mountains.

Writing about Florence was Lamberto Frescobaldi, identified as “a member of the 30th generation of the Frescobaldi family.”

Writing about the Sawtooth Mountains was Hannah Stauts, identified as “the mayor of Stanley, Idaho which lies at the northeast end of the Sawtooth Valley, beneath 10,000-foot-high peaks. At 24, she is one of the youngest female mayors in the United States.”

The population of Florence is 367,000. One hundred people live in Stanley.

What could these two places have in common? The answer is their people – each writer describes a passionate, possessive attitude that characterizes the people who inhabit the place.

Regarding Florence, Frescobaldi writes: “Its inhabitants are pleased with – and protective of – what they see as their uniqueness. Florentines are not quick to embrace novelty, but slowly, slowly we usually fall in love with it.”

Regarding Stanley, Stauts writes: “For those of us who live in Stanley (population 100), in the valley below Galena Summit, the Sawtooths preside over us. They are the reason we came here. They are the reason we stay. The Sawtooths are the connection we all share.”

About the future?

Frescobaldi writes, “Florence’s future is filled with its past, which I jealously guard in the hope that my children will someday inherit the elegance, history, culture, and wonderful simplicity of this extraordinary city.”

Stauts adds, “It takes a passion for the area and the life it offers. Our payoff: wide-open views, made possible by . . . easements (that) have guaranteed that the majority of our open, undeveloped land will remain that way for generations to come.”

It’s a remarkable thing – vast differences, but a same kind of passion of the people for their places, for a lifetime.

Sheboygan, Wisconsin: Best and Wurst

At the “Showdown in Sheboygan” thousands of on-lookers converge to watch competitors gorge themselves on bratwursts for 10 minutes. Winners have been known to consume 50 or more.

But when Thomas Margenau writes of his memories of his hometown of Sheboygan, Wisconsin (population 50,792), it’s not the competition – it’s the community – that he associates with the bratwurst.

“The smell of sizzling sausage from hundreds of backyard fryers permeated the town’s air all summer long like a nonstop Oktoberfest. (If you’re from Sheboygan, they’re called “brat fryers,” not barbeque grills.) I remember having brats at least two or three times a week . . . Sheboygan nowadays shows up on “Best Places to Live or Retire” lists . . . many of us remember it as the “wurst city in America.”

Memories of our hometowns are often made of unsuspecting things in unanticipated ways. But those memories are the stuff that makes “our town” different from all the other towns – and give what might otherwise be just another city the special appellation of “community.”

Click to read more (Smithsonian, September 2009, p. 13)

Forks, Washington

Two years ago, Forks, Washington was just a town of 3120 people. But thanks to the best-selling "Twilight" books and movie series, the town is now world famous:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/travel/27culture.html

Fans of the series have descended on this mid-sized city:

"Over the last year or so, Forks (population 3,120) has morphed into a mecca for Twilighters, or Twihards as they are sometimes called. Visitors to this rainy town, whose main industries are logging and two correctional facilities, have more than tripled for the first eight months of this year, compared with the same period last year, according to the local Chamber of Commerce."

The town has taking advantage of the series to re-market itself as a tourist site:

"Charlene Leppell’s longtime flower and gift shop was on the brink of closing until she started printing up 'Bella for Prom Queen' T-shirts and applying glitter to red ceramic apples. Now her shop, renamed Twilight Central, is doing so well that 'the question isn’t whether I could afford to take a vacation this year,' Ms. Leppell said, 'but whether I could take off time from the store.'”

Forks, Washington offers a great example of a small city that took what it was known for and built industry and commerce around it. Any city can do the same thing. Although it helps if you have a bestselling movie and book with which to work.

Decatur, Nebraska

Decatur, Nebraska is a small town of only 650 people. But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in heart:

http://www.kmeg14.com/Global/story.asp?S=11164522

"6-month-old Logan Nathan has VACTERL Syndrome. Logan is now home - he's been out of the hospital for the past few weeks. But his family still needs a lot of help with their medical bills."

Fortunately, the family is getting help from neighbors in the town. Local folks have banded together and raised more than $11,000 for the medical treatment that young Logan needs.

"How are we going to repay all this? And hopefully someday we'll be able to pay it forward and help another family along the way," says Tracy Nathan.

Decatur, Nebraska is an example of a town that people loved to live in--a place where people care about people.

Out of the Fire--A Community

Much has been made about the heroic efforts of firefighters in California as they worked earlier this month to save lives and homes from the largest fire in Los Angeles County history.

The firefighters came from all over. But where did they live?

http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_13337212

A makeshift town sprung up that housed these heroes. The Hansen Dam Recreation Area was transformed overnight into a community. And it was a community in every sense of the word.

It offered buildings to help the firefighters:

"Complete with showers, mobile sleepers, a dining tent and laundry trailer, the Station Fire made Hansen Dam home to more than 5,000 firefighters and support personnel for about two weeks."

It offered food and refreshment:

"Beyond the trailers, a dining tent served some 2,700 hungry firefighters anything from chicken-fried steak to fresh fruit, according to Incident Catering Service's on-site manager Chris Ball."

It offered housing:

"Across camp, firefighters could sleep in any one of 16 trailers brought in by the the Mobile Sleeper Company, a subcontractor to the U.S. Forest Service."

What about the washing and drying needs for the firefighters?

"About 2,800 pounds of laundry was cleaned daily by one of 20 washers and dryers brought in and operated by AAA laundry, according to AAA representative Peggy Burden."

And yes, even a trash service was provided:

"The California Conservation Corps cleaned the campground, stocked food and picked up litter, according California Conservation Corps supervisor Anthony Larios."

But as great as all of these services are, they pale in comparison to the main reason Hansen Dam became a community--because people cared about each other and were working together on a cause greater than themselves.

When people are busy saving lives and fighting fires all day, they don't have time to bicker at night over local politics or neighborhood ordinances. They are thankful for the blessings of community.

It's a good thing the fire is mostly finished. But it's a sad thing that the makeshift town of Hansen Dam is finished, too. That community had much to teach the rest of us.

For All Our Cities: Reasons to be Hopeful

The role of leadership in a city is always important – but even more so during the difficult times.

John Gardner in his book “On Leadership” wrote, “The first and last task of a leader is to keep hope alive.”

So what is a leader’s message during a serious economic downturn?

The mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, provided a message of hope that contains elements that are applicable for cities of any size:

1. The value of ideas – “. . . as factories have moved overseas . . . a crucial sector of the industry – design – has remained. It’s the sector that relies on ideas. And to paraphrase Harvard University economist Edward Glaeser, the demand for ideas isn’t going away.”

2. The value of the entrepreneur – “. . . half of today’s Fortune 500 companies were founded during a recession or a bear market . . . In New York City, we’re expecting a big payoff from what we’re doing: opening business incubators, building boot camps for entrepreneurs, organizing business-plan competitions, expanding the amount of early-stage seed capital for startups, and cutting taxes for the smallest small businesses.”

3. The value of universities – “. . . our open society and world-class universities will remain a magnet for the world’s best and brightest . . . Economists have estimated that every person arriving on an H1-B visa creates jobs for five native-born Americans.”

4. The value of optimism – “For optimists, there are always opportunities . . . human achievement is built on the optimistic notion that what is not possible today can be possible tomorrow . . . .”

“America has never had a short supply of optimists, which may be the best of all reasons to be hopeful.”

Click to read Mayor Bloomberg’s entire article: Business Week, August 24 & 31, 2009, page 53.

Ani: Once Upon a Time

There once was a city named Ani.

It was located near today’s border between Turkey and Armenia.

Owen Matthews writes that in its best days, located “at the crossroads of empires made Ani as large and as wealthy as Venice.”

Its population reached 100,000, perhaps more. Ani was known as the “City of 1,001 Churches.”

But no one lives in Ani anymore. Wars, sieges, looting, fires and earthquakes have taken their toll.

Matthews writes, “I don’t believe in ghosts. But maybe I believe in the spirit of a place. And in Ani, and all over ancient Armenia . . . there’s something missing. There’s a feeling that the place has been abandoned by history, and by the people who made the place’s history.”

Some impressive – yet empty – structures (such as the cathedral of Ani, with its pointed arches and clustered piers) still stand where people once dwelled.

Once, Ani was like many, if not most cities, “a crossroads, a meeting point, a place of equal footing.” Is it possible that “this corner of the world could start to become a crossroads again, instead of a lonely dead end”?

The work of building community, of reviving or maintaining a “spirit of place” never stops. It is incumbent on the people who occupy the place.

Click to read Owen Matthews’ entire article: Haunted by History, Newsweek, September 14, 2009, p.67.

Flagstaff to China

When the mayor of Flagstaff, Arizona (population 58,000) traveled to China, a clash of cultures was expected. Instead, common ground was found:

http://www.naztoday.com/news/top-stories/2009/09/small-town-mayor-big-time-trip/

Mayor Sara Presler took part in a State Department-sponsored trip. While touring various Chinese cities, she tried to find connections. As the article notes:

"Establishing connections and mutual appreciation for differences and similarities between political, cultural, social and economical aspects of China and the U.S. was the mayor’s main goal as she met with several of China’s leaders."

Apparently, the mayor succeeded:

"But one strong similarity that Presler noticed between Flagstaff and China was in the style of public art. Presler witnessed groups of Chinese citizens dancing to Salsa music and saw the mutual appreciation for the arts, regardless of the censorship the communist government imposes on free speech."

Presler returned home with great pride in her mid-sized city and a new realization of how her city is not unlike cities in other parts of the world.

Westfield, New Jersey

The New York Times recently profiled Westfield, New Jersey, population 30,000:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/realestate/13Living.html?hpw

This is a mid-sized city that continues to experience moderate growth because it has a small town feel:

"The town has a coziness that stems from an intergenerational appeal. People who grew up here often choose to move back as adults — to be near parents and to be parents themselves. It’s the kind of community where children ride their bicycles and skateboards downtown, gathering at delis and Italian-ice stands."

One of the possible reasons this New Jersey city has remained relatively small is that though it's close to New York City, there is no direct train connection to the Big Apple. Thus, not as many New York City commuters live in this town as in other New Jersey towns.

But plans are underway to connect Westfield with Midtown Manhattan by 2016. And though the city seems happy about this development, it also hopes to keep its small town atmosphere in tact.

The View From Castelletto

Patrick Symmes rented a stone house in Castelletto (population 4,400), an “obscure village high up in the Arda Valley” of Italy.

His goal was “to go local in every sense: language, cooking, daily life.”

This was not the region of the best known Italian cities. Neither Paris, Florence nor Venice were nearby neighbors.

The cities of this region – Parma, Modena, Bologna, Ferrara and Ravenna – were not nearly as well known but offered “more than enough.”

Symmes summarized:

“. . . I would see Florence (the magic Italy, the famous Italy). . . amid roaring buses, be elbowed off the tiny sidewalks . . . and have my pockets cleaned out by the exorbitant fees for museums and meals that came with free jostling. In Parma, by contrast, we had our own little Italy almost to ourselves.”

And then there’s Ravenna:

Symmes had “seen Roman and Byzantine mosaics in Syria, Turkey, and Lebanon. But the art of stone tiling reached its zenith here, in glittering works of gold and blue that put even Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to shame. In Ravenna, we devoured the famous portraiture in stone of the Basilica di Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo and the tiny but stunning mausoleum of Galla Placidia.”

Such experiences enhance the appreciation of the beauty to be found in the smaller, less well known places – and revive the meaning of Goethe’s description in 1786 of the “lovely great depopulated” Ferrara.

To read Patrick Symmes' excellent article in its entirety: Conde Nast Traveler, September 2009, p. 155.

Why Do You Love This Place?

Have you ever questioned why you like one place more than another? Or what makes a town your favorite?

Jennifer McKenzie Frazier supplied some food for thought when she described “Why I Love the Hotel Contessa” in Southern Living, June 2008, p. 44.

Her five reasons were Rooms, Location, Style, Food and Extras.

While the above applies to a hotel, it’s not a bad framework for thinking about a city.

Changing “Rooms” to “Space” provides a reminder that the way a city allocates and configures its space can make a big difference in the way we feel about the city.

Location – can suggest more than geographical siting but include accessability as well.

Style – architecture plays a big role here, especially with major buildings, both old and new.

Food – can play a big part in shaping the distinctiveness of a city.

Extras – this is where a city breaks away from the conventional recipe and adds something special.

The result is a five-point checklist that city leaders would do well to review frequently.

Corfu and the "Rhythm of Life"

When Lia Huber spent three months “living in a small mountain town on the Greek island of Corfu” she learned that “it’s not just the foods themselves . . . it’s how they’re eaten.”

Following are five lessons learned from living the Corfu way:

1. “Time spent eating with friends and family is time spent living well.”

2. “Eat fresh . . . It’s a twice-weekly ritual in many cities and towns to buy fresh produce and meats in open-air markets.”

3. “Vegetables and legumes are the main dishes in Greece, not sides.”

4. “A meal was never rushed in Greece – it was normal to spend 2 to 3 hours enjoying a lunch.”

5. “For Greeks, meals are about more than just the food . . . It’s about nourishing your whole being – mind, body, and spirit.”

When thinking about the role of food in building community, Lia Huber’s experience at Corfu discovered that “food was part of the rhythm of life there.”

Read Lia Huber’s complete article: “The Summer That Changed My Diet,” Prevention, August 2007, p. 172.

A Community Within a Community

West Linn, Oregon was recently profiled as one of the best small cities in America. Yet the 24,000 people who live there are somewhat separated by various neighborhoods:

"Driving from the valley to the top of the hill is like going through different universes. In the valley, most of the residential areas have older homes built in a simple ranch style. There are older homes on the hill, but most are newer homes dwarfing those in the valley or Willamette.

"Some residents say there isn't a citywide sense of community."

http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2009/08/affluent_west_linn_ranks_as_a.html

Yet once inside these neighborhoods, a sense of community does exist:

"Down the street a front yard has become a designated party zone. Paper lanterns, a grill and a circle of lawn chairs fill the space. The neighborhood gathers there every Tuesday, as it did last week after a trip to the taco cart at the West Linn Farmers Market, in Willamette, to eat, drink and relax.

"There's a strong feeling of community in Willamette, which is the largest of West Linn's 11 neighborhoods, with 5,766 residents in 2008. Neighbors walk through one another's backyards. There's a bit of competitive gardening, and they've helped each other with home repairs. Toward the end of the night, after the neighbors finish their tacos, many of them will hop in canoes and kayaks for a moonlight ride on the Willamette River."

A sense of community can be found in different places; sometimes it's your city, sometimes it's your neighborhood.

Returning to Boulder City, Nevada

Young people often can't wait to leave their hometowns. But some of them return, as Boulder City, Nevada is learning:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/sep/07/small-town-has-way-luring-people-back/

This mid-sized city of 15,000 has seen many of its young people leave only to return.

According to this article, "What separates growing towns from dying ones is the ability to either draw new people in or to attract some of those young people back...."

So why are young people returning to Boulder City? Many of them seem to be finding that the experience of living in the city leaves them nostalgic for the pace of life in a smaller place.

Tim Tillman was one such native who left and then came home. Why?

“'We moved out, and I fell in love with Boulder City all over again,' he said. 'I knew it was going to be a good place to raise the boys.'”

Evidently, you can take the person out of Boulder City, but you can't take Boulder City out of the person.

McCoy and Shipley

As the college football season begins, much is being made of the relationship between Texas Longhorn players Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley. This week, ESPN aired a feature on the two, and ran an article about them on its website.

The premise of these stories is simple: the two boys grew up together and now are one of the most powerful tandems in college football. Most people have heard the part about the two boys' dads playing college football together at Abilene Christian. But ESPN chose to focus on another aspect of their relationship: how growing up in small cities helped develop them.

Both the boys' fathers were high school coaches. McCoy played for his dad in Tuscola (just under 1000 in population) and now lives with his family in the summer in Graham (population 8700). Meanwhile, Shipley played for his day at Burnet (population 4700).

During the summers, the two boys would often get together and go hunting, fishing and camping.

According to McCoy, growing up in a smaller place helped expose him to the outdoors, and this taught him many important lessons: "I learned how to work. Hunting, fishing, working on the farm with my grandpa … I developed a passion for work and it carried over to the field."

And so the two most important players on one of college footballs most talented teams come from mid-sized cities in Texas. And the cities that produced the two young men can be proud. Click on the video below to watch the two as they talk about football, fishing and life.

Cities that produce kids like this are cities worth knowing about.

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/fishing/news/story?id=4435439

Oaxaca and a Multi-Town Collaboration

Twenty years after Alice Waters made her first visit to Oaxaca, Mexico she still remembers it to be her “Favorite Place.” In the September 2009 issue of Travel and Leisure, p. 160, she writes:

“Oaxaca is replete with the art of everyday life. It’s not art in a gallery. The creativity comes across in the way people dress, in the way they live, and in the way they work. It’s in the colors of the earthenware pots: dark greens; deep purples; intense blacks . . . This is one of the richest, most biodiverse places in the Americas. You find it when you go to the Indian market in the Teotitlan valley outside of town.”

Actually, the markets have proven to be the basis of a sort of multi-locale collaboration that extends beyond the city of Oaxaca and spreads across the surrounding area and throughout the week.

Tuesday is the day to visit the market in Ayoquezco (population 4,385), especially if you’re interested in wood furniture. Wednesday, try the Zimatlan (population 2,562) market for cheese. Thursday, it’s the open-air market in Ejutla (population 17,232).

And it goes on – a sort of open-air market for each day of the week – small towns featured during the week days and a big market day in Oaxaca on Saturday.

When it comes to markets, “You can go every day and see something new.”

Even in Hollywood . . . Some Things Shouldn't Change

Before its 20th anniversary, Musso and Frank Grill was referring to itself as the “oldest restaurant in Hollywood.”

It still claims that title – as it anticipates its centennial celebration in 2019.

According to Paul Slansky, when Musso and Frank Grill “first opened for business, three months after World War II ended and four months before Prohibition began, it shared its neighborhood with avocado groves, eucalyptus trees and even a gently flowing stream.”

Then the motion picture industry converged on the area and everything changed – well, almost everything.

After marking 90 years in the same location, “Musso and Frank Grill is still the toast of Hollywood – fabulous as it ever was.”

“The last quarter-century has seen the demise of dozens of classic L.A. eateries, among them Chasen’s, the Brown Derby, Scandia, Schwab’s drugstore . . . the links to old Hollywood are slowly fading away . . .”

But there is still an important place in our towns for those special places like “Musso’s.” As Slasky writes:

“. . . its history imbues it with a kind of meta-coolness that transcends the ephemeral hipness of whatever the hot restaurant of the moment happens to be . . .”

To read more see ForbesLife, October 2006, p. 135.

Prosper, Texas

The town motto of Prosper, Texas might well be "if you build it they will come."

This city of 7000 north of Dallas unveiled a brand new high school this week:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/083109dnmetprosperhigh.40aeb59.html

The new high school is "a $113.5 million, 590,000-square-foot behemoth, complete with a medical tech lab, a restaurant-worthy kitchen, a greenhouse, a broadcast studio and, of course, an indoor football practice facility. All this in a still-sleepy town of just 7,000 people."

Ironically, this incredible new facility is much bigger than needed for the student population:

"The school opened last week at half its capacity, but district officials say it will soon fill up as families push north from crowded suburbs like Frisco and McKinney."

This is another example of how small cities are planning for the future.