The USA Today recently published a story on tiny Floyd, VA (Pop. 434) where residents are unconcerned with things like brain drain and attracting new economic development. They're enjoying the quietude and simple life that comes with being a "slow city." The term originates in Europe, Italy to be more precise, and refers to a backlash against the type of development that favors McDonalds over a leisurely midday meal or which generally places a premium on economic development over-and-above the enjoyment of life's simple pleasures. Once just a term, "slow city" is now a movement in Europe with 32 cities with populations under 50,000 offering their commitment to a particular set of "slow city" values.
Residents of Floyd are no strangers to interest in their town. Since 2002, the residents of Floyd have been able to participate in an underground economy using their own money, called Floyd Bucks, to promote their local economy. The town is more famously known for its musical festival and is also well-known by travelers of the musical heritage trail called the Crooked Road. Despite the attraction to a rural utopia that places like Floyd generate there are still economic realities that need to be confronted. The USA Today article mentioned above indicates that Floyd recently landed a $1 million federal grant and intends to use that investment to focus on job creation in an area where the average annual salary is well below the state average.
Still, in contrast to the drive to create cool cities that capture the interest of young professionals the notion of slow cities has the appeal of something that is genuine or authentic and which harkens back to the roots of a community.
Frankly, I'm not certain the differences between slow cities and cool cities is really that great, at least from the street-level perspective. From this account, I recognize similarities related to authenticity and true "regional flavor", the development of the region's unique character. "More economic activity is genrated by regional brands based on high value products made from local natural capital." Creating a vibrant sense of place by linking businesses through joint marketing increases the power of Regional Flavor to contribute to economic health."(as described by June Holley, formerly of ACEnet and The Central Appalachian Network in Strategies for Sustainable Entrepreneurship)
http://www.cannetwork.org/roundtable/index.php
My sense is that there are different levels of creativity at work within the entrepreneurial social infrastructure of various locales (I hesitate to say solely "cities" since the "region" is truly the economic engine of the 21st century). Cities within a region should be considered a federation of interconnected communities, whereby options are available for different types of consumers and markets. The slow cities notion reflects one type of city, which will be attractive to specific types of people. Perhaps "slow cities" are considered the small scale version of a cool city. Definitely authentic!
The "cool cities" movement has been co-opted by ED folks looking for the next silver bullet, and who then attempt to apply rote policies in some sort of pathetic ED macarena. Many policies have been created by those who lack the creative vision that God gave gnats. The creative economy is about leaders being able to recognize the assets of the community and garner a "collective wisdom" approach to community identity.
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