The Four Pillars of "Urban Development": Part I

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking on a panel with elected officials, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and civic activists in Greater Boston.  Part of the nascent Together Festival, the panel discussion was geared toward examining a simple concept:  How does the intersection of music, art, technology and culture help create industry and benefit the economy?  Throughout the panel discussion, there was a gentle but persistent beat of electronica and funk in the background at this unique (for Boston) civic space dedicated to arts and music culture.  No surprise, then, that the audience and online viewers self-selected; we were, without doubt, preaching to converted.  This was a crowd for whom urban culture is not an afterthought or a nice to have...it is a must have, their livelihood and their raison d'etre.  And yet, there they were, recounting Tales from the Darkside about their challenges effectively weaving urban arts, music and culture into the fabric of business and society, and getting a "seat" at the table discussing the City's social and economic future.

Sometimes a city's economic development and urban planning goes awry, and the best of intentions reduces policy and planning exercises to zoning, architecture, and initiatives designed to facilitate growth of the latest hot industry (advanced manufacturing, for example).  This "field of dreams" approach to improving the economic future of urban areas is as common today as it was during Urban Renewal and times gone past.  One need look no further than the prevalence of "innovation district" strategies being trumpeted by cities across America as a means of trying to attract Facebook or its ilk to their shores.  It is almost as if the suggestion is that a better designed building, better planned roadway infrastructure, or more favorably structured tax incentive alone will lead to a community's economic prosperity and well-being.

These economic development initiatives are certainly important.  However,  it is equally important to remember that, as the urban critic Lewis Mumford once wrote, "A city exists not for the constant passage of motorcars, but for the care and culture of [its citizens]."  Or, as I suggested to the audience at the Together Festival, culture is not just a byproduct of a city's economic activity; its what keeps economic activity relevant to us as a community.  

My intent is not to pit Culture against Economics in how we think about charting the long-term vitality of urban communities.  We have available to us a more holistic approach - to adopt an understanding that there are four highly interrelated characteristics of cities, four pillars, that require equal attention when thinking about the future of cities and communities.  These attributes are environmental, economic, social and cultural.  A community's ability to generate prosperity and vitality can be measured by these four pillars, and, as such, those planning or revitalizing urban areas must take them into account when making decisions and setting policy.  In future posts I will elaborate on each of these Four Pillars and strategies for helping ensure they are vital elements of the community.