Archive for December 12th, 2009

A great story from Forbes about how the cities of the future need to understand their unique market segment then set a course and stick to their plan. 

But adopting the urban revitalization conventional wisdom du jour is also a dead end. Every city has bike trails, stadiums and such. Things like light rail might help, but people who want to live the Portland or Chicago lifestyle will just move there. They don’t need a “me too” imitation of it.

The lesson of Portland is that it found a strategy that worked for it based on embracing traditional urbanism, public transit and bicycle transportation. That doesn’t mean every city should copy it; others found different paths. Las Vegas found success with its “sin city” approach. Austin decided to be a big college town with a pledge to “Keep Austin Weird.” Charleston held firm to its rich antebellum heritage. For Houston, it’s the relentless pursuit of the energy sector, America’s most aggressive pro-growth policies and no zoning.

These cities have the CEO perspective. They understand their “brand DNA.” They were able to create aspirational narratives about their brand promise that resonated with the people they wanted to attract. And they understood how to deliver on their value propositions. That’s the real lesson they have to offer, not cookbook recipes for urban success.

America’s cities need to dig deep, understand their unique local environments and create urban solutions that spring from the native soil. That’s where the CEO perspective is vital. There is no one-size-fits-all urban policy solution. A great city, like a great wine, has to express its terroir.

Aaron M. Renn is an urban success strategist. He writes about cities at urbanophile.com.