By Winn MaddreyI discussed my experience at the Emerging Issues Forum in Raleigh, NC below and now that a couple of weeks have passed, I'd like to share thoughts from some of the speakers that have stayed with me:
• “Where are today’s Erie Canals, broad, bold projects which have a big impact?” Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT)
• The car is the reason for the current economic malaise. The driving lifestyle, promulgated by cheap oil has allowed the middle class to live farther out, to drive past one restaurant to reach another. It’s why the US has 15x the retail of the UK. -Andres Duany, planner and architect
• Code, zoning and even the finance structure for strip centers have been constructed to meet the needs of corporate finance’s desire for template approach – 45,000 parking places, xx amount of square feet, xy% restaurants, etc. - A. Duany
• We need a metro policy for a metro nation, i.e. political boundaries are different that the way we live and the way to solve issues. - Bruce Katz of The Brookings Institution
• Many government incentives are designed to avoid failure vs. achieve success. An example is the FDA does not want anyone to die, yet is reluctant to aim for anything pioneering. Megan McArdle, The Atlantic
• Innovation is an overused & misused word. Innovation equals verbs or muscles, which need to be exercised as part of a strategy. Metrics are nouns and should follow, not lead, “don’t sit on your assets.” Dr. John Kao, author of Innovation Nation
There were many nuggets and many ideas, which combined, offered, to me, a perspective on how government, business, and community can begin to address the growth wave that is coming, that is unavoidable, and if harnessed can allow us to reach a place of sustainable growth.
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