Archives for March 2009

Statistics can be very useful, yet many times they can be completely unreliable – especially when trying to measure or rank something as large and complex as a city.  So when statistics are used in over-simplified lists by various media outlets to rank cities, they tend to be worth little more than the paper they’re printed on.  Case in point:  the August 2008 Forbes list of America’s Fastest Dying Cities, the February 2009 Forbes list of America’s Emptiest Cities, and the March 2009 Site Selection Magazine Governor’s Cup rankings of cities with the most new or expanded capital projects (ie best place to locate your business).  Dayton was at or near the top of both lists – huh?

These lists are silly.  First of all, when was the last time you heard of a city that “died”?  Of course Dayton is struggling in many aspects, but the city and region have many strengths that would prevent it from ever “dying”.  The city is known to have a very strong arts & culture scene among similar-sized cities.  The region has some of the best suburban public schools in the state.  And Ohio’s largest single employer, WPAFB, is here and not likely to disappear anytime soon.  So while Dayton has seen better days, it is not dying – and it could even be poised for an upswing.

At the same time, the Dayton Region has been getting pounded with bad economic news over the past few years.  GM and Delphi were once the area’s largest private employers, and now they are gone.  Mead turned into MeadWestvaco and moved to Connecticut.  The manufacturing sector was once the region’s powerhouse; it is now simply a shell of its former self.  In fact, Dayton is the worst city in the country in terms of job losses – losing jobs for 32 straight quarters.  But nevermind, because Site Selection Magazine says Dayton is tops for business among second-tier cities (in terms of attracting economic-development expansion projects).  Could Dayton be the worst job-loss city in the country and at the same time the best economic-development expansion city in the country?  Don’t get too excited – Toledo, Youngstown and Detroit were near the top as well.

And speaking of lists, don’t even get me started about the “Creative Class Index”…

The point is, none of these “lists” – no matter good or bad – can be taken all that seriously.  There is no such thing as a city ranking that offers a true picture of a city that is meaningful to everybody.  Things are good here for some and bad here for others – same as every single city on the planet.  Honestly, the magazines that publish these lists have figured out that by doing so they end up as a news story in every newspaper and television news broadcast in every city that is included on the list… can you say “free advertising”?  But still, these lists do seem to have an impact on the attitudes of the people who live here, and potentially on those looking to move or invest here.  So let’s hope that the next list Dayton finds itself near the top of is a “most improved city” list – because it will be positive AND believable.

I’ve lived in Downtown Dayton for almost five and a half years, and since then I’ve seen a number of ups and downs here in the urban core.   Back in 2003 the city was full of buzz as Fifth Third Field, Riverscape and the Schuster Performing Arts Center were fairly new and downtown housing seemed to be gaining momentum.  Shortly afterwards, downtown development slowed to a crawl.  My faith in this city has gone up and down like a roller coaster, and I’ve often questioned whether or not the urban core of Dayton would ever realize the enormous potential I’ve always seen. However, this has not stopped my continued involvement in various initiatives to make things better, and the latest effort I’m involved with has given a boost to my faith in the future of Downtown Dayton.

The “Greater Downtown Dayton Plan” is a very ambitious initiative that was started by Dr. Mike Ervin last year.  Mike has managed to bring together many of the city’s most prominent business leaders, institutional leaders and government leaders in an effort to completely transform Downtown Dayton in a way this city has never seen before.  Ego’s, politics and turf-protection have been set aside in favor of a sense of urgency and a desire to do what is best for the urban core.  And while government leaders play an important part in the plan (as they should), they are not the ones driving it – a fact that should give pause to naysayers who have lost faith in our city government’s ability to put Dayton back on the path to prosperity.  This is truly a collaborative effort between the private and public sector.  Stay tuned on how this progresses…

I have no question that the city has folks that are truly dedicated to the prosperity and growth of the downtown core – I know most of them personally.  But by ourselves it is a steep hill to climb.  That hill is made steeper by the too-common apathy towards the city that can be found in the rest of the region.  That is not to say that there aren’t suburbanites who are champions for the city (I happen to know many of them as well), but they are far and few between.  The disconnect between the suburbs and the city has a history that goes back to long before I moved here in 2001 and likely goes back to before I was born – it started with what has become known as the Great White Flight.  An entire generation exists here that can only remember downtown the way it “used to be”, and it is followed by an entire generation that has no connection at all to downtown – probably because they grew up surrounded by an anti-city attitude from their parents.  It is thus of little surprise that many downtown advocates I know are from other cities – myself included.

There are many other reasons for the disconnect between suburbanites and the urban core.  This region has a strong conservative culture that does not tend to value an urban culture; the word “urban” itself has a “different from us” meaning in many ways including racial and socio-economic.  The city has the highest concentration of poverty in the region – a reason for upward-mobile people to stay away even though there is a small concentration of affluent folks who live in downtown.  The public school system is obviously struggling.  There is a very common belief throughout the region that there is a serious lack of leadership in the city, whether it is because of misplaced priorities or simply incompetence.   And with the younger generation, it seems that the appreciation of this city’s history and heritage is almost non-existent.

Not all is lost, since a big problem I’ve always seen is a simple lack of information.  Suburbanites that do not spend much time in the city often have no idea what is happening in the city that might appeal to them.  Better marketing and outreach could go a long way in solving that, especially with some help with the media who have traditionally been seen as an enemy to the urban core with their constant barrage of negative news centered around crime.  But perhaps there is something even more important than better marketing or media coverage, and that is by simply getting our grassroots story told.  People love the underdog story, especially when it includes very dedicated people that everybody can identify with.  I hope to continue telling that story here on DMM, and possibly via more traditional media formats.  And just like with the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan – stay tuned…