Citistates: How Urban America Can Prosper in a Competitive World by Neal R. Peirce with Curtis W. Johnson and John Stuart Hall
Summary.
Peirce, Johnson and Hall resurrect a concept from the past, the concept of city-states with a history that starts with civilization itself, maybe 10,000 years ago. Their work is based on studies in many regional cities throughout the United States. The book highlights: Phoenix, Seattle, Baltimore, Owensboro, Dallas and St. Paul; concluding with “Citistate Guideposts”.
The focus of the work is regionalism as opposed to the global spirit of the ancient city states. Regional cooperation, regional governance and infrastructure are prerequisites to success in the global economy. This book describes how to build and maintain a city state. However, there is another point to be made. Cities, as virtual sovereign nations, can participate in global trade directly.
Citistate Seattle: Shaping a Modern Metropolis
Citistate Seattle: Shaping a Modern Metropolis by Mark Hinshaw, [Planners Press, American Planning Association, 170 pages, 1999] was inspired by Neal Peirce’s Citistates. He reflects his deep love for the City of Seattle, his intimate knowledge of its every detail and his appreciation for the essence of city-building. As a result, Citistate Seattle is a great book for learning both about the city and the important features of city-building. All valuable informatio for planning small cities and towns.
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Top 50 Cities for Global Trade
Top 50 Cities for Global Trade published by Global Trade Magazine presents the evolution of global cities. The article can be found at www.globaltrademag.com/features/top-50-cities-for-global-trade. In excerpt, it says, “Aug 8, 2012 – The overall ranking lists the 50 largest metropolitan areas by export volume. … Global trade takes all of us–in cities large and small–doing our best and making …. The area is well positioned to do business with growing Asian …”
More Employees; Fewer, More Flexible “Offices”
More Employees; Fewer, More Flexible “Offices” presents information about the current trend in office space utilization. Lisa Dilts, COMPSPRING, has contributed her thoughts on the changing workplace and its effect of the demand and design for office space. Small cities and towns can take advantage of this new model of work with their downtown supply of smaller, well-located buildings by utilizing small sites for small office buildings and by re-purposing older buildings to suit the new model of work. In the New Innovation Economy, office space is being designed to accommodate collaborative teams, job-sharing, at-home workers who space-share offices and open office design concepts that put less space in private offices, cubes or work stations and more space in food courts, meeting spaces and creative communal production spaces.
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Site Analysis: A Checklist
Site Analysis, A Checklist, presents a worksheet to use when evaluating the developability of a parcel of land. This checklist can be used for private or public property analysis. Small cities and towns develop parks, libraries and civic buildings; and they review and approve private builders who do the same. A sound process for examining the conditions of the land to be developed and its environs is prudent.
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The Downtown Infill and Redevelopment Process
The Downtown Infill and Redevelopment Process is useful in enticing vision-consistent developers to invest in the downtowns of small cities and towns. The process is a defined set of steps and activities used by successful small cities and towns to support private investment on main street or nearby. The concept is based on the idea that the town will invest, or otherwise support, private development and be ok with the investors making a profit. The development needs to be consistent with the town’s vision and it needs to be performance based. It also needs to be for the pioneer, the first investor willing to take a risk to prove a market. Once the market and the concept have been proven, subsequent investors and developers are on their own. The city’s role is to help the first developer establish the precedent that can be exploited by subsequent vision-consistent projects. Make the statement up front that the incentives are not for everyone who comes along, just the pioneers.
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The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation
The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation is a great guide for those interested in high-tech economic development. Though the times have changed, the principles of industrial scale technology research and development still apply. Economic development programs of small cities and towns in the New Innovation Economy can benefit from a very similar process employed by Bell Labs and their host communities from the early twentieth century. A fascinating and instructive story.
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The 5 Ideas Every City Should Steal from Singapore
5 Ideas Every City Should Steal from Singapore, by Meera Senthilingam for CNN, is a great guide for city planners. Singapore is a large and successful city-state, with ideas that can work in many small cities and towns. With the exception of :going underground” in parts of Florida, each idea is useful:
- Have a plan
- Don’t waste your waste
- See green with A/C
- Go underground
- Embrace technology
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/12/asia/singapore-5-best-ideas-for-the-future/
The Importance of Being the Best
The Importance of Being Best is an often overlooked economic development tool. The magazine listings of “the best city in America for whatever quality is the subject of the month” can be important. Small cities and towns of character fit this mold nicely and can exploit the circulation of the respective journals to advertise their unique features. It should not be surprising that even though many of these lists are contrived and paid for, people and businesses still consult them as they look to make re-location decisions. The “best of…” information may not be the determining factor, but it plays a part in many re-location decisions; and for sure it doesn’t hurt to be listed as the best place for schools, parks or adult beverages.
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The City’s Form and Function – 2016
The City’s Form and Function – 2016 is evolving based on global access to the new global economy. The annual essay about the form and function of small cities and towns builds on the two previous efforts. The 2014 essay discussed the importance of balancing the town’s economic, social and physical attributes to produce a city that is an interesting, pleasant and prosperous place to live. The 2015 edition added urbanism to sustainability and echoed the professional literature’s advancement to sustainable urbanism as a useful approach for planning, designing and building a character town. The 2016 article builds on the 2014 and 2015 versions and adds the idea that small cities and towns as highly suitable locations for for global business. Entrepreneurs, private, institutional and public, now have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of small town living when the small city or town has broad band internet services that enables connection to global systems of finance, trade and entertainment. Small cities and towns are great locations for people and businesses associated with the New Innovation Economy.
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Small Towns as Global Cities
Small Towns as Global Cities is a happening trend. Small cities and towns have many of the attributes that appeal to businesses and entrepreneurs of the New Innovation Economy. The way small cities and towns envision themselves greatly influences their prospects in participation in the global economy. Broadband internet service and access to an international airport make small cities competitive in the world marketplace.
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Smart Microgrids for power, water supply and waste disposal
Smart Microgrids offer a small scale solution for providing power to remote areas and for serving as back-up systems for places with dependent populations such as hospitals and adult care communities. Adding modern technologies creates smart microgrids that offer adaptability, lower costs, flexibility and small scale solutions when appropriate. Microgrids also better utilize alternative sources of energy, especially wind and solar. Small scale facilities also work for solid waste and wastewater disposal along with water purification. Micro-satellites reflect this idea that small may in fact be beautiful, and practical.
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