tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12509286.post116559833208143049..comments2024-03-01T07:43:16.529-06:00Comments on Smart City Memphis: A Message From Detroit Is A Wake-up Call For MemphisUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12509286.post-1165702275614264582006-12-09T16:11:00.000-06:002006-12-09T16:11:00.000-06:00It is interesting that bloggers here have been war...It is interesting that bloggers here have been warning about Memphis' slide towards becoming Detroit for a long time. Usually they get labeled as being negative. <BR/><BR/>Gates of Memphis wrote some valid points. It seems the development model of Memphis is failing. So much of the city and people are left out of that model. Expanding small business development and wealth creation across the city seems the only way to allieviate the crime and poverty situation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12509286.post-1165612115365546172006-12-08T15:08:00.000-06:002006-12-08T15:08:00.000-06:00Great points. We are indeed on the verge of self-...Great points. We are indeed on the verge of self-loathing now, and while we resent it, we can't be dismissive (not that you were) about the problems that produce it. There are other cities with high poverty, there are other cities that had crumbling infrastructure, economic challenges, etc., but some have turned themselves around. It's about leadership, the kind that inspires a vision of the future that we can all embrace and be part of. In the end, the inability to deliver basic services is the greatest indictment of failed leadership. We have summits on issue after issue, but in the end, we need to have THE summit in the U.S. on poverty, because more than anything else, that's driving the problems in this city. And as we wrote a couple of days ago, we have to invest in our strength - distinctiveness.Smart City Consultinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13985783340016474051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12509286.post-1165611413828002062006-12-08T14:56:00.000-06:002006-12-08T14:56:00.000-06:00What can we wake up from here -- poverty? Most of...What can we wake up from here -- poverty? Most of the problems she describes are poverty-causing-or-caused: crumbling infrastructure, sucky economies, no funding for arts, crime. In Detroit's case, they have a creative strategy (or at least a slogan), so it sounds like they're trying. And I think the whole "how can we afford art classes when our kids don't know _________?" would rage in places like San Francisco if they had more than 3 poor people and fewer than 30 (or more) billionaires. <BR/><BR/>Memphis and Detroit are both creative cities but also historically poor. Memphis has had that problem since its founding; Detroit for the past 50 years, or especially since the beginning of the decline of the automotive industry. The real creative challenge for both cities: how do we transform the populations we have (including me) from the old broken world to a world of free, prosperous and creative citizens? If we can meet the challenge, it will be the social equivalent of curing cancer. But wait -- Memphis' St. Jude <B>has</B> cured cancer, so my metaphor has precedent.<BR/><BR/>In the meantime, I worry that we're being bludgeoned by rankings or shining successes dominated by wealthy cities, cities not dealing with this problem. How can rankings help us solve the problem, which really is THE problem? We should always learn from others, both successes and failures. But if we only learn about their successes and our failures, both out of historical context, I feel that it can cross over to self-loathing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com