I really like the ideas presented in The New Localism by Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak because they provide a road-map for getting stuff done in a local context where our hyper polarized tendencies can be put aside. The ideas presented in the book focus on engaging local community members and groups to take real action against our most pressing challenges. It doesn’t simply present a best case scenario of local policy-making, but demonstrates real examples of local place-making alongside realistic decision-making.
Cities have the power to lead on many issues that we face today because of their abilities to create networks to pull people together. It is the strengths of cities that propels them to be the solution engines that they can be in our world today. The authors write, “Cities unveil and tap hidden strengths by aggregating public, corporate, philanthropic, and university stakeholders into networks that work together to tackle hard challenges and leverage distinctive opportunities.” It is the people, the companies, the groups, and the local environment that allow cities to be diverse, dynamic, and successful in developing real responses to social, economic, and security threats. By understanding and connecting these resources, cities can build coalitions with the power and energy to transform cities in the face of obstacles.
Katz and Nowak continue (emphasis in original), “The best networks have a smart recipe: Build from strength to address needs rather than build from needs to address strength. This enables cities to realize the full value of latent assets, whether they are sector based … or geographic …”
Cities cannot identify who they want to be, and then try to engineer the strengths that would help them bring about the transformations they want to see. Cities have to be able to honestly look at themselves and see what they can be. There is plenty or room for imagination and visionary leadership in this model, even if it feels limiting. Cities cannot invent strengths out of no where, but they can identify, coordinate, and combine the resources that produce existing strengths to further develop new industries and sectors, or to capitalize on existing advantages. Building from strengths takes the existing pieces and encourages them to grow, expand, and recombine in novel ways. It requires organic communication and networking along with new institutions to help streamline the decision-making process to implement the programs and policies to help propel cities forward.
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