THE DEATH AND REINCARNATION OF SMALL AMERICAN TOWNS

The United States has a continuous history of development based on exploration and settlement of new frontiers. From the early settlers, the westward expansion and even post World War II suburban growth, settlements  have always been guided by the belief that somewhere out there exists a  new frontier where the fulfillment of the American Dream is within grasp. The pioneers that have settled these frontiers have been ordinary men, women and children who were moved by curiosity and the desire to improve their own lives and those of their progeny. This trait has not withered with time.

Even today, as we look around, we see countless families looking for ways to become a part of an upward middle class. Where lies their frontier?

  

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Own the Sidewalk

21st Street in Pittsburgh's Strip District makes excellent use of its sidewalk.

Getting the little things right

The primary type of public space in the United States is the street. It has been the long-standing breadwinner for our economies in providing that rich exchange between customers and merchants, ideas and entrepreneurs, and people and another. Streets are not static or, like our cities themselves, ever complete. They begin as an idea about creating access and value to land and grow from there. They continue to evolve as the enabler of great urban life. At that exact point where the value creation happens--the building face--is the most energetic. Like creeks and rivers, these contact points with the "shore" create eddies of activity. As our streets became laden with faster and larger vehicles, we zoned that activity into a separate space: the sidewalk.

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Cultural Districts and Urban Workshops

Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh, PA

Different but equally important

Cities and their broader economic regions are beginning to recognize once again the importance of creating neighborhoods that can readily attract, develop, and export robust economic activity and offer a high quality of life. These types of considerations are particularly important to regions that historically have been tied to large single industries, whether it is cars (Detroit), steel (Pittsburgh), government (Washington, DC), or military (Hampton Roads). Creative cities that foster a wide variety of industries provide the sort of robustness to changes in the market that regions require. Building creative places, therefore, is of citywide and regional significance to ensure continued economic competitiveness and resilience. 

But some confuse building creative places with building cultural, arts-focused districts. While both are equally important, they represent two distinct paths should a creatives-driven urban regeneration strategy be pursued: The Cultural District or the Urban "Workshop."

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Andrew Zolli Introduces Resilience

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New Rules for the New Frontier

Braddock, east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Community building in the United States is on the verge of something special. As we observe trends in economy, demographics, energy consumption and cultural prefernces, we see the outlines of a New American Frontier slowly emerge from the settling dust of the Great Recession. Recent observations about New Brainard, New Hope, and North Adams all describe places with the potential to be prototypes, (re)discovering the value that small and midsize cities can bring to our economies, quality of life, and natural environment. Acting like startup companies, these towns are on the forefront of innovation, of trial and error, and productivity. They are large enough to matter but small enough to be affected by change. Individually, their margins today may be small, but they are sustainable; and taken together, their market potential is enormous. We have come to call them Investment Ready Places. 

Like small businesses and startups, communities pushing into this New Frontier exhibit specific entrepreneurial personality traits. In her post about New Hope, Jennifer Krouse outlines some critical ones:

Openness, creativity, social capital and an experimental mindset are important assets. But mustering those assets is not enough; we have to deploy them.

"[Deploying] them" is the operative phrase. Our current finance, regulatory, and development regimes have calcified and must be shaken up to move once again toward a stronger, more prosperous state. Like all great startups, Investment Ready Places have the ability to redefine development philosophy and dismantle some of the dogmas that have precipitated failure in our cities. We can once again tap into a deeply-rooted town building culture that builds upon inherited patterns for creating dynamic, resilient, affinitive places. 

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