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Better Ways
May 30, 2006
Investing In Your City To Generate Wealth
When Glen Murray was the mayor of Winnipeg, he spent his first four years in office cutting the city's debt in half and freezing or reducing property taxes. But he also insisted that Winnipeg invest in itself. At "Amazing Possibilities," the recent Guelph Civic League conference, Murray said, "Jane (Jacobs) talked about cities as places that generate wealth. If cities cannot generate wealth, if they cannot generate a surplus of wealth, they cease to exist. They don’t have a healthy economy."
Murray's government stimulated the redevelopment of old commercial neighbourhoods in Winnipeg by granting tax holidays to landlords. The districts became people-magnets. He spent money on landscaping downtown streets to create atmosphere. Businesses paid more tax willingly because customers flowed through the door. Most famously, Murray championed the Provencher Bridge, a pedestrian bridge across the Red River that links downtown Winnipeg with St. Boniface. In the middle of the bridge is a restaurant and bar with an elaborate spire and a fanciful webwork of high-wire cables. It is the first inhabited bridge built in the world since 1770.
Fiscal conservatives in Winnipeg thought the mayor had gone nuts. "What use is a bridge you can’t drive a car across?" a local radio commentator asked. The project was seen by many as foolish extravagance in a meat-and-potatoes town.
Today, the Provencher Bridge is likely the single most popular destination in the city. People love walking across it. It unites two neighbourhoods. It's in every postcard rack in the city. And it's the only piece of municipal infrastructure that makes a profit and will permanently pay for its own maintenance.
Murray's message is strong and clear: Cities must preserve and enhance uniqueness and historic character; they must invest in qualities that draw people together and make outsiders want to visit. Inviting places generate wealth.
“We abandoned planning. We were, ‘Open for business.’ When you hear that in your city plan start crying.”
Glen Murray, Amazing Possibilities, May 5, 2006
Do Guelph a big favour. Take the time to read Glen Murray's inspiring speech from the Amazing Possibilities conference about building real value into cities. There are better ways to run a city. And he's done it.
Creative Cities Attract Creative People
In a recent Toronto Star article, Glen Murray writes about the rise of the knowledge economy and how some cities -- Melbourne, Sydney, Beijing, Tokyo, Vancouver, Chicago, London -- are booming because they attract and retain highly paid "knowledge workers." How? By offering a vibrant, exciting, interesting, and beautiful place to live. Loser cities are doing the opposite: becoming no-places with big-boxes, sprawl, and chain-store blandness. "While cities must have well-maintained, safe streets," writes Murray, "that is no longer enough. Cities must offer extraordinary cultural experiences, high-quality public spaces, and authentic, unique neighbourhoods and amenities."
Great Link: www.creativecity.ca
Recommended Reading: Canadian Geographic (May/June 2006). The cover story on sustainable cities focuses on Vancouver.
What You Can Do:
Ask Guelph city council members these important questions:
› Why doesn't the Guelph City Council have a visionary plan for making our great city even greater?
› Why isn't Guelph investing in uniqueness and cultural richness to generate long-term wealth?
› Is the present voting majority on council rapidly forcing our city into the commercialized chain-store blandness that will characterize what Glen Murray calls "loser cities" of the coming decades?
› Where is the courage and leadership Guelph needs to transform growth into desirability that will attract knowledge workers?
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