Smart Communities

Schools and Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln believed in learning. He was for the most part self-taught but always read voraciously and thought continuously. But he was a person who knew that even when the world was wringing its hands, you had to stand firm on your own principles. 

He said this: "Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other."

So it is with us and education. We must keep our eye on the prize and resolve to find answers if we are to succeed. Jay Matthews' column in today's Washington Post presents some new ways to design learning that will require resolve. Not because they won't work, but because they are different. Different makes people nervous. He advocates for less homework and more independent reading. He advocates for calling on each child every day by name. And he advocates requiring that one non-fiction book be read independent of the classroom before high school graduation. If we want to succeed, we must resolve to do things differently.

Newspapers--Best Value Around

Most daily newspapers cost anywhere from $.50 to a dollar depending on where you are. This is much less than a latte or a newsmagazine and provides more up-to-date information. I say this because readership and public opinion on the value of newspapers seem to be going down. For me this is the way I start my day--sitting with a cup of coffee and two newspapers. Since I am early riser I grumble if the paper is not in my yard by 5:00 am every morning. Do I read every word? Absolutely not. But I know what is going on and who is saying what. I happen to believe that if Americans read a newspaper several times a week that it would do more for our civics competency that any high school or college course. So when I read editorials like the one in the New York Times today concerning the future of newspapers, I am concerned. How will young people get the full story on the big issues that will affect them most; how will you know who died or in some places who was born; and as important, how will you know the grocery store specials. I can't imagine a world without that wonderful roll of newsprint on my lawn each morning. In these times of cutbacks and belt tightening, please don't ask me to give up my newspapers. They connect us, they inform us, and they make us laugh and cry. Just tell me where you can get that kind of bang for a buck or less.

We Need More Smart People

Tom Friedman's column yesterday about protectionism and immigration was a reminder once again of what we need to move our economy forward. As I said yesterday, I am already tired of the word stimulus. What we know is that small business and innovation will fuel this economy and that we have got to have people in place who are willing to work hard, think creatively, and take risks. I hope that many Americans will fill that bill but we also need to have people from across the world here to do these things as well. Friedman's point is that we must continue to keep our borders open to smart people. 

Boost Education for Economic Change

We have overused and overheard the word stimulus. In fact, I am tired of it already. What I want is for my retirement account to regain its losses and for people to go back to work. But what I really want is for us to understand as a nation that we will never get where we want to go--stimulus or not--if we don't invest in education and brain power here. Courtland Milloy wrote a powerful article this morning about education and its impact on social and economic freedom. He cites statistics related to the African American workforce. There are 17 million African Americans working today but another 2.2 million unemployed. For black men ages 20 to 24 without a high school diploma, the unemployment rate is 55 percent; the percentage for women is 30. While these are tough economic times no matter your educational level, not having a high school diploma is almost a death knell to getting a job. With dropout rates for African Americans approaching 50 percent in some high schools the situation going forward is pretty grim. Just do the math.

I know times are tight all around but we cannot lose our focus on preparing young people for jobs, entrepreneurship, and innovation. We need to educate and train the next round of businesspeople and inventors and we need to provide the supports, the excellent teaching, and the opportunities to create a pathway to success. If we wring our hands on this one, we could lose a generation.

After the Statistics--Unemployment

When we hear of a plant closing we all shake our heads and repeat the story one or two times. When Caterpillar laid off people recently that generated conversation in many circles. But then we go the next bad news and those folks are off our radar screen. But this article about a factory closing in Latrobe, PA, brings it all back home. The shut down is just the beginning of the problem for most folks. In this particular case only about 15% of the hourly workers have full-time work a year later. Of course we see the fallout of this in our communities with the shortage of food and the increased applications for unemployment benefits. It is time for communities, corporations, and organizations to be creative. That is just what Dominion Virginia Power has done with their Third Party notification program. This allows customers to designate a relative, clergy person, or agency to receive notice if their power is in jeopardy because of non-payment. While this is not the same as a reprieve, it is a good idea particularly with elderly people. 

Public Service Reborn--Elena Kagan

Rarely do I write about people who are alive in this column. When I focus on individuals (or horses in Barbaro's case) it is to memorialize. But today I want to call your attention to President Obama's nominee to be Solicitor General, Elena Kagan. I have never met Ms. Kagan. She is currently dean of the Harvard Law School and has had a distinguished academic career with sterling credentials. But it was not any of that struck me. It was that she seems to understand what it means to have a "big tent" of opinion. People on both sides of the philosophical aisle like and respect her. She has made an effort at Harvard to attract great minds with different opinions and perspectives and she has made Harvard Law more student-friendly according to her colleagues. She seems like a great choice for government. This last partisan stand over the stimulus is just one more example of why we need bridge builders on both sides of the aisle. There is plenty of fault on both sides in this latest stand-off. We want people who have a clarity about their own views but the humility to consider that others may not be all wrong. Elena Kagan appears to be that kind of nominee.

A Good News Story

Yesterday I had conversations with several people: two are directly related. One person said that she wished that the media would focus more on what was going right rather than bombard us with what is going wrong. (Not that we need much reminding of the problems.) I finished my day with a friend who had an answer for this person. 

My two friends were invited to the Presidential inauguration but could not go because of some health issues. They wanted to be a part of the festivities but were unsure what to do. Less than two weeks before the election they rented a restored theatre in their community and planned an event to show the inauguration on the big screen. Admission to the event was non-perishable food for the local food bank or a donation to the food bank. Fliers were prepared and the word got out through informal networks. They didn't know who or how many would show up. Well they needn't have worried. Five hundred people came, brought food to fill three trucks, and donated $1,700 to the food pantry. People had a great time, the small theatre sold popcorn and snacks, and the food pantry got a big boost. Two people made a huge difference.

If you see something that needs to be done in your community--just do it. 

Ethics--Still Understood

Amid the bad news from Washington, DC, about people forgetting to pay their taxes or overlooking requirements comes a great story about the US Airways pilot "Sully" Sullenberger. It seems that a library book was lost in the crash and he has called the library to make amends. Now it is a small thing I know but... Years ago I was in a grocery line when a child dropped a package of cookies and then asked his mother if he could replace those with a new package--likely with unbroken cookies. She said: "no, we dropped them so we will keep them. It is not fair to others to get broken cookies." Again a small thing...but. I really believe that we have got to get back to basics on "right and wrong" not what is just "legal." Here is a great website that provides some tips on teaching ethics to teens.

Heritage Tourism on Hallowed Ground

A report just released from Michigan State found that the "Journey through Hallowed Ground Heritage Area" brought in almost $250 million in 2007. This is a driving tour that takes motorists through four states that includes Civil War sites as well as the homes of nine presidents. The 10 national parks in the region attracted seven million visitors. While this is a federally designated trail, it is just one more example of how we can use the past to shape the future in communities. The chapter in Smart Communities on the same subject highlights Lowell, MA, and Lower Downtown Denver, CO, to name a few. In these economic times we have got to think creatively about ways to package what we have in our communities. It might be a wine trail or tea rooms or fishing sites but we have got to do it to bring in the tourism business. I believe that people will still travel but closer to home. Utah has prepared a toolkit to help communities develop their sites. Also the National Trust for Historic Preservation has developed a site on the subject that is invaluable to any community and economic development team.

History of Community Renewal

As you know I am teaching a course at the University of Virginia this spring, "Housing and Community Development." In these first weeks of the semester, I am having my students do considerable reading in the field of community development. From the War on Poverty forward, they are getting a good idea of what has worked and what hasn't. In addition we are looking at issues facing communities. It is hard to keep all the acronyms of community programs in mind. Take for example the SIP or ARA or CAP. If these acronyms don't immediately jog your memory on the program don't think it is you. These are just a few programs in a long list that have been enacted over the years and no longer are on the books. Now why is that? We have tried an endless array of "fix-its" for our communities with limited success. It is time to change that trend and invest in communities again. What--you cry--can we do in this economy? We had better do a lot to get people working in the inner city, stimulate business development that uses 21st century skills, and invigorate our rural areas with new opportunities for growth that go beyond farming, textiles, and mining. In other words we have got to get our act together in our communities if we want to have a sustainable jumpstart to our economy. Bob Herbert's op-ed this morning in the New York Times about the history of infrastructure is another case in point for remembering history.

As Charles Kettering once said, "those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it." We cannot ignore the history of our community renewal efforts. We must learn from them and act on that knowledge. We are great at reinventing the wheel and adding a different name but this time we have got to invent new ways to grow and sustain our communities. The first step in this process is to understand where we have been as I tell my students. Asheville, NC, is taking a look at the affect of their urban renewal efforts. Great idea.