Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 15, 1993 TAG: 9309120238
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: D3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PAUL C. BROPHY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
As the American Assembly's report, ``Interwoven Destinies: Cities and the Nation,'' guided by HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, says, "The problem and promise of America and its cities are tightly interwoven. For our country to remain competitive, we must strengthen our metropolitan areas, including central cities, where 80 percent of Americans live and work."
We must also fully use all our human and physical resources. There is no shortage of such resources. Our challenge is to develop them through more effective education and management.
The stakes are high and go beyond Roanoke or cities tomorrow. But the future of our cities is directly intertwined with the future of our country.
Think big.
Have a big vision, because your vision can raise the level of what's possible. Grabbing that vision is vital, otherwise cities will be settling for much less than they are capable of achieving.
Understand your goal.
A healthier Roanoke, a better economy, more jobs, and better neighborhoods are all important goals. Yet in trying to build a better Roanoke, and better cities in this country, we actually must work to build community. Identifying the components of that community is a fundamental principle of the level of planning required in any city.
Think regional.
America must go beyond thinking that the problems of homelessness, crime, drugs, and poverty are only inner-city issues. America and its government officials must think and act in terms of comprehensive geographic areas, rather than competing individual localities. We have to connect central city people with increasingly suburban jobs. We need to distribute subsidies for low-income housing among cities and suburbs.
Think neighborhoods.
Regional thinking and neighborhood thinking aren't competitive. The work that's going on around the country in building neighborhood strength is fundamental to renewing the fabric, the spirit, and the future of a city.
Be inclusive.
Citizen participation is crucial. Work closely with citizens because it's at the neighborhood level that we have the strength of people. They are entrepreneurial. They have the vision that the for-profit sector and government lack.
Cut across sector lines.
Build public-private partnerships. A public-private partnership works with government, neighborhood churches, the volunteer sector, financial institutions. All have a self interest in the city - be involved in both crafting and implementing change.
Insist on intergovernmental cooperation.
Reinvent government. As a group of citizens in this country, we need to make sure that our government is reinventing itself, is being fresh and not settling for tomorrow's program based on what's been done today.
Be entrepreneurial.
Important things don't happen easily or without risk.
Keep downtowns strong, and make them stronger.
The heart of any region is the downtown, and many cities are suffering the demise of downtown. It was so wonderful to arrive in downtown Roanoke and see the health that is here. But it needs to be protected, it needs to be enhanced, it needs to be held on to, because it can slip away very quickly.
Emphasize quality of performance and quality of life.
Quality in execution, quality in results. Our communities reflect our aspirations and values. If our downtowns are empty and dangerous after dark, if our public housing is shoddy and poorly maintained, what are we saying about how citizens view the future of our cities? Amenities of civic life are not a frill, they are an essential resource for urban development.
Face the tough problems.
Look at the data in Roanoke-over the past 10 years, the elderly population is up 20 percent. Female headed households are up 20 percent; 23 percent of households are making less than $15,000 a year; almost 10 percent of the population is paying more than it can afford for housing. Just as downtown's demise can erode a region and a city, so can the demise of a portion of the population erode the heart, soul and ability of a region to thrive.
In this country, and I include Roanoke in that, we need to make sure we are working hard and building a new way of doing business in our cities. Again, to quote the American Assembly, "If self-control is given higher value than self-indulgence, if enthusiasm replaces weariness, if optimism overcomes cynicism, then a new civics will appear that emphasizes `we' rather than `I,' and the affirmation of rights will be with assumption of responsibility."
Practicing new civics will move our cities from old ways that did not work and lead to the realization of our vision and a future that includes economic freedom, social cohesion, political reform and personal fulfillment.
\ Paul Brophy is vice chairman and co-chief executive officer of The Enterprise Foundation in Columbia, Md.
by CNB