For a Christmas gift this season I gave my business partners Peter Kageyama’s book, “For the Love of Cities: The Love Affair Between People and Their Places”. Peter was a featured speaker at WEDA’s Governor’s Conference on Economic Development, February 9 at the Monona Terrace in Madison, WI. He gave a dynamic presentation and got some great reviews at the conference.
I read the book in preparation to hear him speak at the conference. Kageyama covers a lot of ground (from functional to emotional relationships, and what can be done to foster all) and I found myself more than once saying, “Yes!” in agreement with a point he was making. As practitioners of economic development and/or as citizens of our community, we can contribute to the loveability and the connection others feel with our community.
Many of the examples in the book relate to large cities but the same can be applied to small cities and even the smallest of communities. Is your city pet friendly? Does it have a nickname? Does it have great food? Does it have fabulous events? Is there a “green” effort? Does your community have popular public gathering spaces? Are there active social media vehicles? Are there co-creators in your community? If there is a passion among business owners, elected officials or employees for your community, how can that be exploited for the good of the whole so others can fall in love with your community too?
You don’t have to overhaul and redevelop the entire downtown, but a few strategic efforts can do amazing work at getting the ball rolling. One redeveloped façade leads to another. One planted flowerpot, one public bike rental facility, one active Facebook page, one pet friendly event, one group of inspired small business owners…….. it all gains momentum and pretty soon your community is picking up steam and creating (and feeling) the love!
This book emphasizes something the team at Redevelopment Resources has been overheard saying and blogging about: Do something. Quoting from page 215 of the book: “Start small. Make a simple gesture. Then another. Then another. Make it easier to make your imprint. Open your hearts and make up new things. This is our work, and frontiers are all around us.”
