Worth’s Cities 2019 Summit: Key Takeaways for Equitable Community Development

Last week I had the privilege of attending Worth’s Cities 2019: Journeys to Urban Excellence summit, here in Savannah. The meeting was an interactive economic development and thought leadership conference that showcased strategies for fostering inclusive growth, downtown development, and global investment. The summit was put together by the staff at Worth Magazine and Juliet Scott-Croxford, Worth’s CEO, curated a stellar group of speakers including mayors, business leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and investors from all over.

One of the most interesting overarching themes of the day was an emphasis on the economic impact of what have conventionally been social justice concerns. Equity in access to healthcare and education, intentionality in cultural inclusion, and the reconciliation of past civil rights injustices all have real and appreciable economic effects that can impact the ability for a community to develop.

It was a thought provoking experience and I want to share with you some of my key takeaways from the summit, particularly those related to developing our cities in a responsible, equitable way that is inclusive of all our citizens:

We must be intentionally inclusive of our existing communities as we revitalize and redevelop our downtowns.

“It’s just a fact, social harmony promotes economic growth.” — Richard Bradley, Worth’s Editor in Chief

Leaders in redevelopment projects often include high-level city government officials and larger commercial real estate and constructions companies. These leaders, especially government officials, no doubt seek out the public good. However, there is a risk that their perspective may be much different from that of the people who live in and around the area affected by the project. Leaders must be intentional about including people who live in and around the project area in the planning discussions, encouraging the community to take some ownership in the project and thus encouraging a level of social harmony.

Additionally, once the project has been completed, there must be an intentional effort made to connect the local community with the project. As I heard Elizabeth Fauerso, Chief Marketing Officer of Pearl, put it “If something’s beautiful people don’t believe they are allowed to go.” The fact for many who live in lower wealth communities is that there is a feeling that these beautiful redeveloped spaces simply are not for them. Making an intentional effort to invite these individuals in can make a huge difference in helping the space integrate into the life of the community.

We must come to terms with the civil rights legacies in our cities.

“Don’t get stuck in the past…you have to work around, and through, and with the issues that are already there.” — Mayor Todd Strange, Montgomery, Alabama

You can draw an almost direct link between the idea that these development projects are not for the less wealthy individuals and the civil rights legacies of our cities. Most of the individuals who make up lower wealth communities in urban cities are black and it hasn't been that long ago that beautiful public spaces in America were not for “them.” This is not a subjective academic idea, the reality is that prolific racism and Jim Crow era laws often prevented members of these communities from participating fully in life within our cities. We must be sensitive to these concerns and make an effort to recognize and reconcile these issues so that we can chart a path forward together. Mayor Jorge Elorza of Providence, Rhode Island was correct when he said “we don’t start with a clean slate.” We have to see ourselves a the inheritors of a legacy, both good and bad, and while the civil rights issues of the past are not of our own creations, they certainly are ours to work on solving.

Community economic development must be centered on improving the situation of the people in the community.

“We have to have good people in our community…our business is only as good as our people so we invest in our community as a partner to develop the workforce, not just in our industry but as a whole.” — John J. “Jay” Neely, III, Vice President for Law and Public Affairs, Gulfstream Aerospace

There has been much discussion about how a shortage of skilled labor is affecting companies worldwide. According to the latest Gallup Manpower “Talent Shortage Survey” 44% of employers across the globe report they cannot find the skills they need. The strategies that are being used to mitigate the effects of this shortage include working harder to recruit the small number of available workers, increasing pay and benefits to attract new workers and retain existing ones, and a heavy investment on employee development to raise the skill level of current employees. While all of these strategies are effective to address the immediate shortages, some businesses are taking a longer view of solving the problem and are investing holistically in their communities to provide fertile ground in which the next generation of workforce can grow. By striving to strengthen the communities where their employees live and work and committing to building collaborative partnerships focused on improving the conditions of the community overall, these industry leaders, like Gulfstream, have enjoyed a significant return in the availability of employees, in productivity, and in profitability.

Healthcare, education, and transit mobility are keys to equitable and sustainable workforce development.

“You have to be healthy, be qualified for the job, and be able to get to the job.” Steve Reis, Senior Partner and Managing Partner, McKinsey Atlanta

A workforce is comprised of people and people who are health, educated, and can get around their city make the best workers. It seems like a simple concept, but sometime it can get lost as we start to develop strategies for workforce and economic development in our communities. All too often, these concerns are thought of as social problems, only tangentially related to building a successful local economy. The reality is that employees who lack access to quality healthcare, especially preventative health services, are less productive and less available to turn up to work, employees who lack basic skills require an additionally investment of time and money to train, and employees who can’t get around the city, can’t make it to work.