Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More
Gem City Circle Walking Tours announced their upcoming 2009 walking tour schedule for downtown Dayton.
Ghost Walks of downtown Dayton:
Main Street Walks:
Oregon Historic Arts District Walks:
Miami & Erie Canal Walks:
Ghost Walks are $10 per person. All other walks are $8.00. Times for the walks vary.
For additional information call tour guide Leon Bey or email [email protected].
It is that time again when thousands of people decend on Downtown Dayton and enjoy the sites, sounds and tastes of our twice-a-year downtown party – Urban Nights! Here are some highlights:
– The Urban Nights Main Stage on Courthouse Square will be the location for ArtsFest, featuring previews of the upcoming performing arts seasons from the Zoot Theater Company, The Dayton Playhouse, SMAG, Muse Machine and the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (among others).. Plus, don’t miss a special concert from 9-11 p.m. when Beatles tribute band Ticket to Ride takes the Main Stage!
– Taste of the Miami Valley at Riverscape
– Very cool art at Summer Space (Excelsior Building in the OD)
– Courteous Mass, the grassroots urban bicycle advocacy group, starts at Fifth Third Field Plaza and rides throughout downtown
– The Dayton Arcade will again be open for tours, and this time hope for this downtown gem will turn to rejoice as its new owners are about to start revitalizing the entire amazing structure!
– Preview the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan – an unprecedented effort involving dozens of organizations and hundreds of volunteers to transform our downtown into a place the entire region can be proud of…
– And much more – just come down and be ready to walk around and imagine Downtown Dayton being like this EVERY weekend! (yes, we can do this)
One local grassroots group, “This is Dayton” is trying to change the perception of Dayton – for those that live and those that visit here. One of the five DaytonCREATE initiatives, they plan to start by plastering downtown with large, vibrant posters of cool people that already do cool things in Dayton in time for Friday’s Urban Nights. This first series of posters Celebrate Daytonians, with a focus on the “Creative Class & Urban Adventurers.”
For the past year or so, this group has been trying to determine the best way to show what makes Dayton so special. What they realized is that it is the people and the connections formed within the community. Then in August, there was a blog post on www.Esrati.com about a creative professional who had lost hope in Dayton and was relocating to Austin, Texas. Carli Dixon and Theresa Gasper were sitting around Dixon’s dining room table in historic South Park one evening talking about the thread and decided to celebrate the ones who stay rather than mourn the ones who leave.
A week before, Gasper was enjoying the back patio at Café Boulevard with her husband, David, on a quiet Monday evening. According to Gasper, a group of three young professionals told the waitress they were in town for two weeks and asked what there was to do when they weren’t working. She rattled off various museums and they said they were looking for more nightlife and a little less culture. She told them about all the places in the Oregon District and you could see the look on their eyes as they looked around and realized there were only five people on the patio, and realize they were silently asking “is every place this crowded?” Says Gasper, “I can’t tell you what Dave and I talked about after that; I was so preoccupied with thinking about how to answer their question.”
It was then the vision of the posters came into focus – highlight cool people doing cool things in Dayton. So you will see photos of people rock climbing at Urban Krag, boxing at Drake’s gym, kayaking on the river, mountain bike riding, playing bike polo, etc. “These are activities many of the locals aren’t even aware of, so the posters will serve the dual purpose of informing locals and out-of-towners of activities they might not otherwise think of” said Gasper. The people in the posters are real, not models.
Carli Dixon adds “Dayton is teeming with creativity, and provocative people and happenings, but we lack a “marketing department” that effectively tells the region and the nation about our successes. Further, our downtown already has infrastructure (galleries, bars, athletic venues), but we need more people filling those venues before we can convince new venues (restaurants, shops) to return to downtown.
“This is Dayton” is a grassroots effort to market the region. The posters were designed by the committee along with Tommy Cooper, a graphic designer employed at Dixon’s company Freeze Frame It. The vinyl for the first run was donated by Digital Fringe. The Gasper’s are picking up the cost for the ink. Others have stepped forward to assist with future print runs. The posters also carry a modified version of the City of Dayton’s “Dayton Patented” logo that says “Proud to be a Dayton Original”. No taxpayer dollars were used to support this effort.
For a sneak preview, visit www.DaytonCREATE.org.
The fall edition of Urban Nights is set for Friday, September 11, and you can help make it the best “walk on the creative side” ever! One way to get involved is to become part of the Urban Nights Crew. Volunteers are needed to help serve as shuttle guides, walking guides, info table staff, survey crew members and more. Volunteer shifts run from 4:45-7:30 p.m. and from 7:15-10 p.m. Or, if you have a creative talent you’d like to share with the public, you can apply to perform on the Urban Nights Community Stage! Several “Dayton Originals” will be chosen from the pool of applicants to have their ten minute performances included as part of the Urban Nights entertainment lineup. If you are interested in being an Urban Nights performer or volunteer, you have until August 31 to apply. Application forms are available at downtowndayton.org. For more information call Molly Eaton at (937) 224-1518, ext. 229.
“The sound of conversation” – that is the translation for the Japanese phrase Pecha-Kucha, which is also the name for a creative way of presenting creative ideas to an audience of – well, other creative people. This new concept has taken the planet by storm, happening in over 100 global cities since 2003 when it was first thought up by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Tokyo’s Klein-Dytham Architecture (KDa), who sought to give young designers a venue to meet, network, and show their work and to attract people to their experimental event space in Roppongi.
Hmm, experimental event space – sounds familiar. Ah yes, we have one of those here in Dayton: c{space! Located at 20 N. Jefferson, this space was opened last year by a group of Dayton Create catalysts in conjunction with the Dayton Circus who set out to find an empty yet interesting urban space to hold independent street-level art & music events and other creative gatherings. Its first event was the successful Ladyfest Dayton, and since then the space has hosted several interesting events as well as small groups working on all kinds of things from film festival planning to urban bicycle events. And yes – your’s truly was part of that original group that made c{space possible.
Back to Pecha-Kucha… this presentation/networking event is unique in that it restricts presenters to 20 powerpoint slides at 20 seconds each, for a toal of 6 minute 40 seconds per presentation. In other words, no long drawn-out boring presentations. Personally I’d like to see EVERY committee meeting, board meeting, and business meeting follow this format! But until that happens, I encourage you to check out Dayton’s version of Pecha-Kucha Night on August 27, 2009 at 6:30pm (more details at the link). And there is already a second night scheduled for November 6 – this one is for Dayton AIA architects to quickly present their creative thoughts. And if you think you have the goods to present at one of these, contact Jill Davis ([email protected] or 937-225-9307).
As I read the latest DDN article about city, regional and state officials meeting behind closed doors to figure out how to “drawing NCR-like companies to Dayton”, I simply shook my head. I’ll actually give officials the benefit of the doubt since I saw nobody actually quoted as saying “NCR-like companies”; I’ll assume that was a DDN attempt to attract views by using the buzz-word de’jour – NCR. Still, I can’t help but wonder what ideas were shared between all of these powers-that-be. Specifically – how many times was the phrase “tax incentive” tossed around?
It actually wasn’t what was said that I’m that concerned about, but more importantly – what wasn’t said. Did anybody talk about improving Dayton’s services and quality of life that would help attract young talent and ultimately the businesses that follow that talent? While I agree that we must be looking at ways to directly attract businesses to our city and region, I would argue that it is every bit as important to improve our city’s environment and transform it in a way that attracts people. Without doing the latter, it is a waste of time to bother trying to attract any businesses, let alone Fortune 500 corporations.
The following is a 30 minute video that I strongly recommend you view when you have the time. It is a piece about Portland, OR – and it could very well be used as a call to action for Dayton. Note – Portland continues to attract residents from across the country DESPITE having an unemployment rate of 11.8%. The idea: transform our entire downtown area (and beyond) into an uber-pedestrian and bicycle friendly environment, start Ohio’s first bicycle-share system, add a 3C/D rail station, and implement the first of many streetcar routes as has already been recommended. It is all about “sense of place”, and it can do more to attract residents, business and investment into our city than any corporate welfare check could ever hope to do.
Those who work for the City of Dayton or follow city news know that the city has had a rule in its city charter since 1987 stating that anybody employed by the City of Dayton (including police and fire) must live in a primary residence within the city limits. This rule has been fought by many employees over the past several years, and it has gone through the court system all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court, where a state ban on the practice has just today been ruled constitutional. In the mean time, it has been discussed elsewhere that the city employs private detectives to snoop on employees they suspect are not actually living within the city limits. And whether or not that is true, it can’t be argued that the city has paid quite a bit of money in legal fees to keep the fight going. But what exactly is the city trying to accomplish? Why does the city insist that this residency rule is worth so much to fight for? What is the city afraid of?
Fellow blogger David Esrati has blogged about Dayton’s residency rule as perhaps others have, so I’m hardly the first blogger to weigh in on this. But I believe the residency rule should be lifted and the fight to keep it should end. Aside from whatever this means from a legal implementation stand point (it was in fact voted on by Dayton’s citizens), the residency rule is much more trouble than its worth – and I believe our city would be better off without it.
I’ve heard all the reasons for keeping the residency rule – everything from the fear of a mass city exodus by city employees if it was lifted, to the notions that city employees will do their jobs more effectively if they have a personal stake in the city (ie a primary residence), and fire and police will be more knowledgeable and empathetic about city neighborhoods if they in fact live in them. But are these in fact rational arguments? I say no.
If the residency rule is ultimately overturned, I’m sure many employees will immediately look to move out of the city. Perhaps they wish to move to a better school district or have other reasons for wishing to move as maybe their personal circumstances have changed since when they first took the city job. But I doubt the exodus will be as massive as is feared – if employees really wanted to move out of the city then they would do so and simply take a job elsewhere. And good employees will typically give 100% if they are doing a job they enjoy and working for management they believe in; whether they actually live in the city or not is irrelevant.
Lifting the residency rule would also have tremendous benefits. Imagine increasing the size of the talent pool from which to choose city employees – does anybody not think this would be a benefit to our city? I’d rather hire a stellar candidate who lives in Oakwood or Kettering instead of having to settle on a mediocre employee whose best qualification is being a city resident. I’m not at all suggesting that all of our city staff are mediocre (I happen to know some very talented city staffers, and our fire and police are already top notch), but even if we only replaced city staff through attrition we’d still be better off if we had the whole region as a talent pool to choose from.
Finally, the residency rule is simply another negative reinforcement that sends a terrible message and makes Dayton seem like a desperate and stifling organization to work for. Instead of yet more fighting on the part of the city to keep the residency rule intact (next step – U.S. Supreme Court?), I expect more out of our city’s leadership. While we’d lose some employees as city residents, we’d also have a chance to gain new residents as employees from other parts of the region who might ultimately choose to move INTO the city as they become more involved through their employment in it. That may sound idealistic, but isn’t that the kind of thinking we need to move our city forward?
Read more discussion about this topic at the DMM Forum – and join the conversation
I’ve noticed with all of the news articles, opinion pieces and various commentary – everybody refers to this as “NCR relocating to Atlanta”. Atlanta this, Atlanta that. Yes, there is a lesson to be learned here for Dayton and it is exactly what I wrote about in my previous post – the need for the entire Dayton region to once and for all give up on all the parochialistic attitudes and come together a one single region – first in attitude, but ultimately in organization and government.
NCR is not moving to Atlanta; its new headquarters will be in Duluth, GA which is not only 30 miles away from the city of Atlanta, it is in a different county (Gwinnett). NCR had already moved customer service operations to Peachtree, GA – 35 miles southwest of Atlanta in yet another county. Additionally, Georgia is building a brand new manufacturing facility for NCR that will employ 870 people in Columbus, GA – which is over 100 miles away from Atlanta and actually closer to Montgomery, AL. But despite these distances from the center city, the story is “NCR Moves to Atlanta.”
Distance-wise, this would roughly be the equivalent of a corporation locating its headquarters in Springfield, OH, moving its customer service office to Mason, OH and opening a manufacturing plant in Findlay, OH (with commute times being much longer in GA). But given this Ohio equivalent example, does anybody think that this would be called a win for Dayton, Ohio? Does anybody think that the name “Dayton” would even be mentioned?
Granted, it is unfair to compare Georgia to Ohio since Georgia truly has one single major city that everything else revolves around while Ohio has several large and medium-sized urban centers that are relatively close to one another. Not to mention that Atlanta is the largest metro region in the entire southeast and dwarfs Ohio’s largest metro regions, let alone smaller Dayton… we may be talking apples to oranges (or apples to peaches as the case may be). But Atlanta-proper is actually not that big – if Montgomery County, Ohio was a single city it would in fact be bigger than Atlanta in terms of population.
My point is that there is much power in having a unified region, where everybody identifies themselves as Dayton – regardless of whether you are in Centerville, Oakwood, or even in a different county like Beavercreek. While our little fiefdoms are fighting amongst themselves (see Centerville vs Washington Township, Dayton vs Beavercreek, etc.) as we shuffle businesses and residents around the same region and call that economic development, regions like Atlanta are busy competing against Chicago, New York and other global cities. That is, when they’re not sucking businesses away from smaller and weaker cities like Dayton.
We may be a long way off from UniGov – the politics, current power structures and general attitude of the population make that nothing more than a pipe dream today. But we must be making transformational changes as a region that move us in that direction; ultimately we will have to start looking at ourselves as the Cincinnati/Dayton/Columbus region if we are to ever compete globally. Local leaders are beginning to discuss this more – if you want to participate in the discussion or hear more about the ideas currently being discussed, attend the Economic Development Forum – Montgomery County event being hosted by the Dayton Business Journal on Tuesday June 23, 2009 at Sinclair Community College (click the link for registration details). Or, join the on-going discussions on this topic right here on the DaytonMostMetro.com Forum, under Regionalism.
As if being listed as a top-ten dying city last year wasn’t enough of a wake-up call, Dayton’s largest and most famous home-grown company NCR has announced its relocation to Atlanta and sent shock waves throughout the region and up to the state capital. While various city, regional and state leaders spent their media time complaining about NCR’s unwillingness to return phone calls or come to the table, they might have inspired more confidence in our community with the following:
“We’d like to thank NCR for the 125 years they’ve been an integral part of the Dayton community. We appreciate the support you’ve shown to our local arts & culture groups and other non-profit organizations over the years, and we will always cherish the rich history that your company has had with Dayton going back to the days of John Patterson. NCR’s departure comes as no surprise to those of us who have been trying to work with the company over the past several months to no avail, and we regret their decision to unceremoniously abandon Dayton. But starting this very minute we will look forward to new opportunities with emerging and growing businesses and remain committed to all of those companies that actually wish to stay and grow in the Dayton Region. We will not dwell on what has been lost, but we will take advantage of this opportunity to make the bold changes necessary that will transform our city and region.”
“Dayton’s past represents the era of a few mega corporations that the community relied on in every facet of life, but Dayton’s future represents a brand new environment created to attract and nurture thousands of small and medium-sized businesses that are able to innovate, grow and retain top talent. This new reality will require a completely new way we operate government at the local, regional and state levels, and we are dedicated to making the hard decisions that will get us to where we need to be.”
Those are simply words, and words alone will not push our community forward – bold action is required. It seems as though NCR’s ‘sudden’ departure has struck quite a nerve at the highest levels in state government, and it is time to capitalize on the attention we now have from the state. Here are some things I would focus on if I was leading the charge:
Transform Tax Structure
We must completely overhaul our antiquated tax structure that may have made sense decades ago but is now the single largest force against our region’s ability to work together. The current system forces cities to rely on income tax, the counties to rely on sales tax and townships to rely on property tax. Added to a political climate which pits rural and suburban communities against urban cities, it is no wonder our region is so divided. Change must happen at the state level in order to implement a more equitable tax structure that encourages communities to work together rather than compete against one another.
Consolidate, Cut, Streamline, Simplify
We must consolidate similar organizations when at all possible, cut every duplicate administrative role possible and streamline our remaining organizations to become as efficient as possible – thereby freeing up more resources that can be invested in our communities and businesses. It is never easy to kill positions, but businesses do it every day in order to survive – we must do it if we are to survive as a region. In addition to cost savings, simplifying our system gives us a better opportunity to speak to businesses with one regional voice – an ability we’ve paid a significant price for lacking all of this time.
Change the Culture
We must finally transform ourselves away from a series of individual counties and communities competing with one another and into a single region that values the unique identities of our individual communities but that works closely together to ensure that every investment and development decision is made to maximize the benefit to the entire region. Only when the diversity of choices our region offers both residents and businesses alike is considered an asset rather than an “us vs them” argument will we become a unified region. And only when we become a unified region will we become attractive to outside business and investment. Culture change is not easy, but it can happen with true leadership and an effective message to the community at-large.
Strengthen the Core
Our entire region is seeing the effects of having a weak urban core, as we are seeing our largest businesses flee to regions with strong central cities. While others debate whether or not the city’s current leadership has effectively done its job for the city, those we elect in the future must be able to inspire confidence and speak not just for the city but for the entire region – even if they do not have any official regional power outside of the city’s borders. City government must do a much better job at attracting responsible residents and businesses to the core. And at the same time, the region at large must get over its irrational attitudes and biases against the city and understand once and for all that we’re all in this together.
Change is never easy, and the type of change that will be necessary to push the Dayton Region forward will be especially difficult. It will require true leaders who are unified with their mission and message to a region that is now extremely divided. Politics must be set aside, and individual egos and personal agendas that conflict with the greater good must be fully exposed and destroyed. The question is – do we have the will to make Dayton emerge a different yet stronger city and region? Or will we simply become paralyzed by the enormous challenges we face as Dayton sinks further into irrelevance and becomes a far-away exurb to Cincinnati? What do you think?
You’re probably reading that title and asking yourself what in the world this post could be about. That is unless you are a developer or downtown building owner – then you probably know exactly where this is headed…
We have a vacancy rate of over 30% in the downtown CBD, and a walk down many streets makes it feel like much more than that. Building after building looks like they’ve been abandoned for years or even decades. In some instances that is in fact the case, but why? It seems like many if not most of these buildings are in good enough shape that with a little money to clean them up they could be brought back to life by locating small businesses in them. But a “little money” turns out to be much more when it comes to bringing a building up to code, and that has in many cases been the difference between being able to bring a building back to life (and bring some jobs back to the core) and making it impossible to do anything and thus continuing our vacancy disaster.
Just as in any city, there are various zoning and building codes that must be met here in Dayton to ensure public safety and use that is proper for the surrounding community. Dayton recently updated its zoning codes as far as what types of uses are permitted in each district in the city, and from my layman’s point of view Dayton’s new zoning codes are actually very good. The downtown district is very flexible in that it allows residential and commercial, even in the same space, which is conducive to the whole urban work-live-play mantra. I also like the fact that surface parking lots are no longer permitted anywhere downtown, which shows forward-thinking on the part of the planners who wrote it. But then there are the individual building codes that must be met, and this is where many have run into trouble and simply given up.
Now, I will say that many building codes are completely reasonable and we should be glad they exist as they keep us safe and ensure that everybody including the handicapped have access. And many of these building codes such as ADA are dictated at the state or federal level. But have we made these codes so restrictive that we’ve destroyed any good chance of bringing our long-vacant downtown buildings back to life? Is there any room for some flexibility and compromises that still ensure proper safety AND make it cost-effective to redevelop and re-inhabit our downtown buildings?
Of all of the various things a building must have these days in order to be compliant, it appears that there are three that are usually the deal-breakers: restrooms, elevators and fire-suppression sprinkler systems. Restrooms are an obvious need for almost any building use so that one sounds a bit silly – until you realize that because of ADA standards, restrooms must have minimum sizes and dimensions in order to accommodate a wheelchair. Well that sounds fair enough for new construction, but I’ll bet most of our vacant downtown buildings and units that have existing working restrooms do not meet today’s standards. A large business that is filling 30,000 square feet or more usually doesn’t have a problem paying to have new restrooms installed, but those are also the businesses that find much of our downtown space obsolete for today’s business needs. Meanwhile there are probably many small businesses that would love to locate in some of the smaller spaces but are simply unable to foot the bill for new restrooms, while building owners are unable to do so as well for the small lease amount that a small business will likely be paying. How about elevators – seems like if a building never had an elevator (or instead had one of those very cool old freight elevators), then it should simply be exempt. Hell, we would probably help the obesity problem if we forced folks to take the stairs anyway (as I try to do as often as I can from my fourth-floor condo). But then it wouldn’t be accessible to the handicapped, and if restrooms are too expensive then just forget the elevator – it just ain’t gonna happen. Finally, the fire-suppression sprinkler system – no, they didn’t have those either when most of these vacant buildings were built, and like the others don’t come cheap.
Why is this such a problem in Dayton and not other larger urban cities? I’d guess it is how cheap leases go for here. In more successful cities, lease rates are much more expensive – over $100 per square foot in places like N.Y.C. and San Francisco. With that kind of rental income, building owners can afford to bring their buildings up to code. But here in Dayton we’re looking at lease rates of $5-$15 per square foot, and new restrooms, elevators and sprinkler systems aren’t likely to be much cheaper here than in N.Y. C. or San Francisco. Hmm, perhaps our “low cost of living” isn’t such a good thing after all – at least when it comes to vacant downtown buildings.
What is the solution? I suppose we could just say to hell with handicapped folks and just make downtown a handicapped-free zone, but that would ensure Dayton’s position on Forbes list of the Top Ten Asshole Cities. Perhaps we could be a bit more flexible when it comes to granting variances (and I really have no idea how flexible we currently are). But ideally we should strive for compliance AND making things cost effective for small businesses and building owners to be in compliance. So this is my proposal: What if the city simply passed a policy that says that for the next five years, a significant percentage (all?) of economic development money that might otherwise go toward tax incentives to larger businesses to locate in the city (ie corporate welfare) or toward tearing down a bunch of buildings in hopes that a developer will happen along and develop something there, went instead into dozens (or even hundreds) of much smaller projects that focused on bringing most of our downtown buildings back into compliance so that they were move-in ready for small businesses. We could set up a sort-of competition among building owners for access to this pool of money by which they would have to do the leg work of submitting plans, with an independent committee determining which ones get the green-light based on predetermined criteria to ensure we get the biggest bang for the buck.
This solution would bring vibrancy back to the core, not to mention businesses, jobs and the income tax that comes with them. Sure, many of these small businesses will be small potatoes, especially service-type businesses like restaurants and small retail. But these are what will make our downtown vibrant and alive again, and probably a much better way to attract those larger businesses than with huge tax incentives that only temporarily lure them here until they find a better tax incentive somewhere else.
This is a simple idea that obviously needs many details to be ironed out, but it is still an idea – and a fresh one at that. And these days, it is going to be new and fresh ideas that push our city forward, because the old line of thinking is simply not going to cut it anymore.
“What about the public schools?” This is a question I’ve heard time and time again, whether I’m casually talking to another person or giving a talk to a large group about why they should be aware of the interesting things happening in the urban core of Dayton, efforts to make our city vibrant again and why they should care. It is almost as if many people in this region refuse to give the city a second thought unless somehow the pubic school problems are miraculously solved (without their help, of course). But is this even a legitimate show-stopping question? I say no, it isn’t – and for many it is in fact completely irrelevant.
In terms of this discussion there are four main demographic groups that make up the total housing market for both rental and ownership: 20-something and older singles, married but childless couples, families with young or school-age children and empty nesters. When it comes to the public school question, here is the breakdown (note I have no stats backing my claims, only common sense):
20-Something/Older Singles with No Kids – this demographic is the sweet spot when it comes to attracting urban residents. While the younger of this group may not have as much disposable income as older generations, there are increasingly more and more singles in their late 20’s and 30’s who do have significant disposable income (and incidentally prefer urban living). More importantly, this single demographic spends a much higher percentage of their disposable income on the very amenities that make for a vibrant downtown – coffee shops, bars, restaurants, movies, non-traditional theater, etc. And most importantly – this group couldn’t care less about public schools because they have no kids!
Married with No Kids – same as the singles in terms of disposable income and where it is spent, but depending on future plans may be more concerned with schools. And if they have already been living urban and prefer that lifestyle then they’ll strongly consider all choices and alternatives (private schools, etc.) before giving in and moving to the burbs, especially if they are in higher income brackets.
Families with Children – Yes, this is the ONE demographic that has legitimate concerns about public schools, so give this demographic to the suburbs unless they are in the tiny minority that has already been living urban and figured out educational alternatives. And that is ok, because this demographic is also the least likely to be spending much in the local economy when it comes to urban amenities, as they are probably spending much more time at home with the kids. This isn’t to say that this demographic should be shunned or ignored, just that it should not be a priority until the urban core has successfully attracted all of the other demographics it can.
Empty Nesters – this is the other demographic sweet spot as they have no school-aged children, will not have school-aged children anytime in the future and thus do not give a hoot about how good or bad public schools are, at least in how it affects them personally. They are the most likely to have the money to purchase expensive downtown condos as they downsize from the now-unnecessary large suburban homes. They have the disposable income and may not be frequenting the bars but will be eating out quite a bit and subscribing to the various traditional theater seasons. In fact, the places they spend money at may be quite different than the young generation and thus the urban core will have a more diverse offering of amenities (not to mention the diversity of residents).
So of all of these groups, there is only one that is more than likely to be turned off from living in the city because of the public schools. Sure, you can say that the quality of public schools effects real estate values, but that is more a Realtor-created problem than based on urban reality. Of course, most Realtors are clueless when it comes to urban markets – at least in Dayton – so that is a perception that will be tough to crack here. Just like the crime perception, but that is for another post…
Btw – I belong to the Families with Children demographic and I live in Downtown Dayton. It will be another three years before I have to figure out the school thing, but I can tell you that my wife and I are not two parents you’ll see retreating to the suburbs because of public schools. And while we are in the minority, we are far from being alone.
I was a participant in this past Saturday’s updayton “Young Creative’s Summit” – a workshop & town hall event meant to engage the region’s younger generation (20-40) in coming up with ideas to make our region and city more attractive to young people. Dayton has been experiencing quite a brain drain over the years as young people flee to other cities in search of jobs and a better quality of life. Since I’m 38, I still qualify as a “young person”, albeit just barely (big sigh!)…
You can read more about the idea behind the summit and how it started by reading my previous post or going to the updayton website. I was in a workshop group called “Making a Difference” and unfortunately two other Dayton bloggers were in the same session – Matt from lifeindayton.com and David Esrati. I say unfortunately because it would have been nice to have been able to read some blogger insights into some of the other sessions, but instead I’m writing about the same thing they already have. Both lifeindayton.com and esrati.com have accurate reports of the day and I won’t waste your time duplicating them here other than to reiterate that the voting process was a total dud IMO and completely drained the energy out of the room (and I’m sure the organizers would agree).
It is always nice to see people engaged and wanting to get involved with making things better, and I applaud the summit organizers and participants for that. But the whole process of getting a group together to come up with ideas and then getting people to somehow implement those ideas on a grassroots level (usually with little or no money) is getting worn out in this town. It is ironic that the updayton group was itself spawned from the Creative Region Initiative (yet another effort I was involved with) where people got together to come up with ideas that they would then try to implement over the next year.
I really thought the idea with the summit was to lobby the leadership in this region with the things young people find important so that those leaders might then champion some projects that address those needs. I knew there was going to be some kind of sign-up for people to get involved, but other than having a hand full of city leaders on hand I did not see how they fit into it other than to listen. And notice I said city leaders because there was not a single suburban or regional leader at the summit – something that was noticed by many people I’ve talked to since. As much as our city leaders are criticized these days I give them credit for being there while none of their regional peers decided it was worth their effort.
Grassroots projects can be valuable and effective, but I just don’t think the best way to develop them is by dot-sticker-committees. They need champions who are passionate, knowledgble and dedicated to an idea who organize others who share that passion, not committees made up of total strangers voting on spontaneous ideas after minimal discussion. What would be nice to see is a community leader or two (government, political, organization or business) actually act as a champion for some of the many ideas that have been generated by the community and help identify the resources to actually make them happen. Because ideas without champions or resources are just that – ideas. We have plenty of ideas in this town, but what we are missing is the leadership to make these ideas come to life. Summit organizers say that this is only the beginning, so I challenge those leaders that were at the summit – what initiatives that matter to young people are YOU planning on being champions for?
(photos by Andy Snow)
UPDATE:
Here are links to posts from other Dayton bloggers – most of whom were at the summit:
A week from Saturday on April 18, the updayton group born from last year’s DaytonCREATE initiative will be holding their 2009 Young Creatives Summit – a chance for the Dayton Region’s 20 & 30-somethings to voice their ideas and opinions about this place in which they live. You can be sure that city and regional leaders will be on hand as their absence would certainly be noticed by this young demographic that uses today’s social networking tools to spread their news and messages to the masses at lightening speed. And I’m very sure that the summit participants won’t be interested in just talking about things – they will expect action. Because unlike previous generations, this young generation is extremely mobile and will not stay in a city or region that does not provide what they’re looking for. It isn’t just jobs, because today’s young generation is more likely to choose a city they want to live in for its lifestyle, social and entertainment offerings… and THEN they find a job.
Registration for the summit is $15 ($5 for students) – and the many discounts and special offers you will get at local businesses will more than pay for that amount, especially if you take the 20% offer at several Oregon District restaurants that evening. And yes, what summit would be complete without a pub crawl afterward – yes, they have that too! Honestly, this is worth the price just for the discounts alone even if you get nothing else from it.
The summit will include multiple break-out sessions where participants will discuss ideas for making Dayton more attractive for young people. The topics have been determined by the surveys the group has been collecting all year and the Perspectives & Pints events held over the past few months:
Creative for hire: Where are the jobs that I can thrive in? In our recent survey of young creatives, you told us job opportunities are the most important factor in choosing a place to live. Unfortunately, this is also where the Dayton region performed worst. Share your experience in the region’s job market, how easy it is to find opportunities to thrive and grow, and your ideas about what leaders can do to foster your career.
Entrepreneurs wanted: What do YOU need to strike it out on your own? Dayton is full of creativity. Creatives are innovators, highly value their individuality and are often more willing to take risks. Risks like starting a business. Have you ever thought about starting one? Maybe you have, but like many young creatives you are not sure where to start. Tell us what the region can do to make the process easier for you so we can live up to the Dayton region’s legacy of innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Dayton scene: Creating an active nightlife with a strong cultural focus. At our February Perspectives & Pints you told us you need variety when you go out – not just in the places you go (concerts, art galleries, theatres, lecture halls, cafes, restaurants, bars, clubs), but also in the people you see. We also heard that Dayton’s nightlife is segregated into pockets, not enough is happening, and when things are happening — you have trouble finding out about them. Share with us your ideas of what we can do to make the region’s nightlife more varied and vibrant for young creatives.
A sense of community: Healthy, happening & affordable neighborhoods. At our Perspectives & Pints last December young creatives told us that they want to live near a wide array of amenities and vibrant community spaces. We also heard that while many young creatives are interested in living in our urban areas, housing there is unaffordable and the region’s gateways and pathways into downtown are lined with vacant, unwelcoming buildings. You’ve told us what is frustrating you – now we need your creative ideas on how we can work with community leaders to fix it. Making a difference:
Getting involved with our community: A new wave of volunteerism, civic pride, and social consciousness is sweeping the country. Would you like to become involved locally, but don’t know where to start? Maybe you’re already engaged, but frustrated about your opportunities to influence change. Dayton is facing challenging times that call for new ideas and action. Help to strengthen the voice and movement of young creatives in our region by participating in community and civic organizations that will set the course for the future of the region.
Family-friendly: What are you looking for in a school system? In our survey of young creatives, over 75% of respondents said quality schools are very important when choosing a place to live. When rating the Miami Valley for the same factor, over 65% said the region’s school systems are average or below. Help us understand where the region’s schools are falling short, and let’s lead the region to devise solutions for this critical issue.
If you’re young (or young at heart) and you want to have a voice in shaping the future of Dayton and the region, do plan to attend. The larger the crowd, the more likely local leaders and politicians will listen and act. And yes, I will be there to report on what happens. See y’all there!
Stivers School for the Arts
“City of Dayton” and “Educational Excellence” are not the most likely phrases to be heard in the same sentence in much of the region. In fact, it is reasonable to say that the city’s poor public school performance is one of the top two reasons that families do not consider living in the city (with crime – perceived and real – being the other). Of course, statistics can’t be ignored and the fact that Dayton Public Schools are at or near the bottom of state rankings every year is a very real statistic. But just like most statistical findings, these do not tell the complete story. A look at the Greater Downtown Dayton area offers a different view of education in the City of Dayton.
First, it is important to look at the entire Downtown Dayton area and not just the few square blocks that make up the Central Business District. This broader definition of downtown is not that new to those of us who live here and already consider downtown to include the adjacent downtown neighborhoods. Now, when looking at the urban core and the current and future educational institutions that anchor the downtown area, I do not see a failing educational system at all, but rather a center of educational excellence that includes:
While most of the Dayton Public Schools have much work to do before suburban families will feel comfortable moving back into the city, the list above is something the city should be proud of and start marketing in a way that shows Downtown Dayton as a center of educational excellence unmatched anywhere in this region. If you were skeptical before reading this, has this given you any reason to pause ? What are some ideas to help grow this synergy into something bigger than the sum of its parts?
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…
