Kent 360 - Kent, Ohio

Ever since Richard Florida wrote his book “The Rise of the Creative Class” there”s been a race to see who can attract those funky, nonconventional “20 to 30 somethings” who have for the last 10 years at least been excellent markers of economic vitality.  Dr. Florida wasn’t trying to start a revolution but in a way that’s exactly what he did in the world of city economic development.  Whether you agree or disagree with his findings, he has forever changed the way we look at our cities as catalysts for propserity.

I heard Dr. Florida speak 2 years ago and he is quick to point out that he’s an academic not a politician.  He studies not promotes.  He explained the all he tried to do in his work was to connect the dots, not script a social/political economic agenda.  Yet in highlighting the remarkable economic success of cities that had large gay populations and other counter-culture elements, his conclusions drew immediate reaction from both the left and right side of the political spectrum.  To some he became a hero while others saw him as public enemy number one.

Irrespective of political persuasion, his insights have certainly broadened the lens through which most cities viewed their economic development strategies.  His book suggested that economic vitality in our multi-media, globally competitive, hyper-information-knowledge-is-king world is more than dark blue business suits; it”s also got room for green spiked hair and alterative lifestyles.

He noted that being able to mix a lot of different people, from different places, with different likes and dislikes brings a lot of economic horsepower to a city but it also takes a high degree of tolerance for everyone to all get along.  He discovered that the mix seems to work best in cities with that a lot of cultural amenities like art, music, and theater.  I”m not sure if the arts comes first or follows, but either way it legitimized the role of arts and culture in business development and gave a whole new crop of people a seat at the economic table.  Art became more than pretty pictures, it was fuel for the economic engine.

Here in Kent, we have an active and growing arts community that is contributing to cultural tourism.  The Kent Stage hosts music events all year long that bring people into Kent from hundreds of miles away.  DICE sponsors competitive ice carving, outdoor movies, cider fests and much more in downtown Kent.  Standing Rock Art Gallery has become a center for cultural creations in Kent and we have our very own glass blowing academy just a mile down the road from downtown.   Woodsy”s Music brings in over 400 students a week from all over northeast Ohio to learn the musical trades.  Kent State hosts the annual Folk Festival and KSU has it’s own downtown art gallery.

The good news is that culture is being made every day here in Kent.  Maybe we haven’t officially unveiled our strategy for cultural tourism — but it’s already alive and well.

But the arts does even more than just stimulate the local economy.  It helps build community.  That”s why I love the adopted phrase of Standing Rock, “Building Community Through the Arts.”  That says it all.

Support Kent Arts every chance you can.  If not for business reasons, then for the Kent community.  I can’t think of a better cause to rally behind than that.

Not All Development Is Created Equally

Kent works hard to encourage quality development.  We promote sustainability and seek to strike a balance between environmental protection, historical character, quality of life, development rights and business opportunities.  We want growth and redevelopment that complements and improves upon what we have today.  We don’t want growth for growth sake.  We want growth that makes Kent better.  As simple as all this sounds, doing it is actually quite a tall order.  One thing I’ve learned along the way is that not all development is created equal.

First off, development is not for the faint hearted nor for those with a weak constitution.  It’s a roller coaster ride that can carry you all the way to the top only to take you  crashing down the other side in a matter of seconds, leaving you with no other choice than to throw your hands up and scream.

It’s misunderstood and much maligned when we don’t agree with it but it can also be the saving grace when it all works out to our favor. It’s definitely got that wolf in sheeps clothing thing going on with promises made at every turn and heartbrakes over deals that didn’t pan out. Frankly it’s a lightening rod no matter which side of the fence you sit.

So why do we do it?  Because Darwin was on to something when he noted that those animals that are most capable of adapting are most likely to survive and thrive.  The same holds true for cities.   Unfortunately, the hands of time move in only one direction so resting on the laurels of our past success is not an option.  If we’re not moving forward, we’re losing ground like a melting ice cube.

The trouble is there is no instant pudding in development yet there’s a contagious fever to development prospects that dangle the promise of better days with the next deal of the cards. The winner has got to be in this next hand.  This creates a mania for those that work in it everyday.  They’re close enough to see and smell it but they just can’t grab it.  Meanwhile the pressures mount, expectations rise and the community need for the revenues from new development grows desparate.

I’m reminded of a scene from Where the Wild Things Are and Max shouts “Let the rumpus begin!” It’s easy to slide down this slippery slope and on some level come to believe in development at all costs.  But that’s the beginning of the end.

Somewhere in the middle is that ground where we find the right project and take bold actions to make it happen.  One of the things that I find very interesting is the balance between revenues and expenses from different types of development.  There’s actually been quite a bit of study of how much different land uses bring in new revenues versus how much they consume in service expenses.  A few of the findings of these “Cost of Service Studies” are displayed below:

Development can bring in new revenues but it’s not free.  These are just a few more balls to juggle as we try to find the right development mix for Kent.

Idea City

One of the great things about the internet is the chance to stumble on cool ideas in a totally, surprisingly random sort of way.  It’s like finding a $20 bill in your pocket. Sweeeeet.

In that spirit I had my own moment of serendipity when I bumped into the IdeaCity web site.  Idea City is a conference that is more a running dialogue of ideas from people of all walks of life than the typical procession of research findings.  It’s practicing group think in a post modern, meeting of the minds, genuinely constructive way.  In this way, it became a model of everything I hoped we can create here in Kent — not just once a year for 3 days — but every day all year long.

With so many smart people living and working in Kent I’ve been thinking for some time that we’ve barely scratched the surface of one of our greatest assets — the idea power of Kent.  The really unique twist to Kent is the combination of theoretical research and practical know how.  A lot of university cities are dominated by  academic researchers and most non-university cities are dominated by business practitioners.  Kent actually occupies that high ground in between with plenty of both types sharing the same home town.

That’s the cold fusion equivalent for entrepreneurship that kick starts the chain reaction sequence transforming ideas into products.  Just like fusion, the key is in the strength of the networks or the bonds between the links in the chain.  Interestingly, our constraint is not on either end of the innovation pipeline, it’s in the middle where ideas bottleneck and have a hard time connecting up with prospective businesses.

The city, the university and the Kent Chamber are working hard to blow the middle wide open and turn imagination loose here in Kent in order to take full advantage of the abundance of opportunities waiting here. I really believe our future will prove to be a product of the quality of our innovation network that we build.

That’s why when I read about the IdeaCity Conference I was intrigued.  It brings together smart people to talk about important issues.  In the unscripted mix, concepts emerge and take on a life of their own based on the common narrative of the attendees. If we could harness and channel that format productively, this seems to represent the ultimate expression of our democratic ideal as practiced in local government.

For me Kent is already a practicing idea city.  I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit for what we’re doing because that’s not our style.  We’re doers not talkers but that humility undersells the economic horsepower that is available in this community.  But horsepower on ice is ineffective.  My goal is to build the traction we need to engage that horsepower.  It’s time to move forward rather than spinning our wheels.

I wanted to share the kinds of comments posted on the “Great Wall of Ideas” at the conference and invite you to offer your own ideas for our wall of Great Ideas to Transform Kent.