After my most recent pecha kucha presentation, someone came up to me and asked a question: "What is Indianapolis' identity?" She noted that when you think "Texas" a whole series of associations comes to mind: ten-gallon hats and cowboys, "everything's bigger in Texas", a certain exaggered masculinity combined with traditional "Yes, Ma'am" manners. But Indianapolis didn't seem to conjure up anything for this person or those she worked with. It was a constant topic of conversation. This is, perhaps, not uncommon in the area. I noted how … [Read more...]
Nashville: The Next Boomtown of the New South?
I traveled to Nashville for the first time in 2007, spending most of my time in the downtown area. I posted my impressions here, noting the high growth and high ambition level as well as the fantastic freeways, but also the generally unimpressive development and built environment. I did another fly-by in April of this year. I made a conscious effort to try to get out and see different areas this time around. My tour guide was an Indy native who had spent the last decade or so in the northeast. He'd moved to the city about a year previously, … [Read more...]
Economic Development Strategies, Done Right
I met a few weeks back with a group of people trying to figure out strategies for developing the life sciences industry in Indiana. One of the ideas that came out was getting a better understanding of what has worked well in the past or elsewhere in different spaces, and one of the key ideas was understanding how and why the Indianapolis sports strategy was so successful. As a bit of a history lesson, back in the 1970's the city of Indianapolis decided that it wanted to try to make sports, specifically amateur sports at the time, a pillar of … [Read more...]
Cincinnati: A Midwest Conundrum
I recently had the privilege of spending a couple of days in Cincinnati. As always, I was completely blown away by all the great things this city has. There is simply not a city in the Midwest apart from Chicago that has anything near the great assets of Cincy. It is an embarrassment of riches. Yet, I'm always befuddled as well as I puzzle a great conundrum: if Cincinnati is so great, how come it isn't the San Francisco of the Midwest instead of a typical, modestly stagnated Midwestern city? I don't profess to have the answers, but it just … [Read more...]
Review: Caught in the Middle by Richard C. Longworth
Caught in the Middle by Richard C. Longworth, formerly a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, paints a picture of a Midwest ravaged by globalization and unable to adapt to the future. As he puts it, “The first task is to tell the truth, that the Midwest’s golden era is gone forever. Much of the Midwest is in denial. It will take courageous leadership to speak the truth.” (255). Longworth’s view is sort of a cross between “The World is Flat” and “What’s the Matter with Kansas?”His thesis: globalization has permanently destroyed the … [Read more...]
Impressions of Nashville
I spent a very brief Memorial Day weekend in Nashville, Tennessee. It was my first visit to the city. While I normally focus on Midwestern cities, Nashville and some others in the southeast are very much along the lines of what I would call "aspirational" cities. Of course, this is based on a too-brief visit, but let's face it, first impressions matter. Two somewhat contradictory things stand out in my mind. The first is that Nashville is a city on the make. Like many Sun Belt metros with heady growth, Nashville really has the feel that it … [Read more...]
Carmel: Leadership in Action, Part Three
This is the third and final installment in my series on leadership in Carmel, Indiana. Click to read Part One and Part Two. This one is dedicated to the critics. Like any leader, Carmel and Mayor Brainard have had both those who've strongly praised them and those who hate them. That's ok. Leadership itself often polarizes and every good leader has been besieged by critics. Of course, not all leaders lead in the right direction and sometimes the critics are right. So let's listen to them. Criticism falls into three main categories: The … [Read more...]
Carmel: Leadership in Action, Part Two
This is the second part in my series on Carmel, Indiana. Here is a link to Part One, which covers the background and infrastructural elements. Part Three discusses various criticisms This part is focused on the redevelopment of Carmel's core around the principles of New Urbanism, and the attempt to build a downwtown from scratch. New Urbanism is a recent trend in urban planning that rejects the traditional suburban design pattern of highly segregated land uses (i.e., traditional zoning) and auto-oriented development in favor of more compact, … [Read more...]
Carmel: Leadership in Action, Part One
Carmel, Indiana is an Indianapolis suburb just across the northern border into Hamilton County. It has long been one of the premier addresses in the region, and clearly the most upscale suburb. The person who used to run the Indianapolis office of my company once remarked that he's never lived in another city where there was just one "rich suburb". When you think of wealthy communities in Indiana, it is Carmel and only Carmel that comes to mind. And believe me, most people in the state know it. So this is a town that attracts a unique type of … [Read more...]
Welcome to the Urbanophile
Welcome, and thank you for reading. Camus claimed that whether or not to commit suicide was the question of philosophy. Well, for blogs, the question is, "Why create yet another blog?" So I feel compelled to offer this apology. This blog is going to be something I've seen no where else: a no-hold's barred, spare no illusions look at aspiring cities, focused on the smaller cities of the Midwest and Indiana. You'll find my ofttimes contrarian take on urban planning, economic development, transportation, what it means to be "world class", and … [Read more...]
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