4 Considerations to Cultivate a Humble City

And the economic fault line patterns attributed to the long-term loss of economic opportunity in our communities

“If you look very closely at just one wire in the cage, you cannot see the other wires. If your conception of what is before you is determined by this myopic focus, you could look at that one wire, up and down the length of it, and be unable to see why a bird would not just fly around the wire any time it wanted to go somewhere … It is only when you step back, stop looking at the wires one by one, microscopically, and take a macroscopic view of the whole cage, that you can see why the bird does not go anywhere; and then you will see it in a moment.” — Marilyn Frye

This Marilyn Frye 1983 birdcage of oppression metaphor best illustrates this dynamic working balance against the marginalized. Each of these birdcage wires in Washington D.C. (the District) has resulted in mass incarceration, the psychological stress of food security, the trauma of systemic racism, the divestments in schools, discriminator housing practices, predatory lending, and unchecked drug epidemics.

Many of these are also the leading contributors to why 137 black women die every day due to preventable heart diseases, according to T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison, GirlTrek.

And people of color are not alone in this accelerated exclusion. In 2015, Princeton economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton reported blue-collar middle-age white, non-Hispanic American mortality rates have been on the increase since the ’90s, due to long-term loss of economic opportunity — realities shaping perspectives as the advent of AI becomes more polarized across media.

As we evolve in the era of the Smart City from what was once the socio-spatial organization of a post-industrialization path towards the “informational city”, let us be mindful of “the precise historical form of capitalism in each period and in each society”. (Castells)

Below are four considerations in cultivating a more humble city:

1: Isolation in the Digital Age

“Ghettos create artificial barriers that impede critical opportunities for trade and the exchange of ideas, and this deprives residents of the key advantage of living in an urban setting. In addition, segregation impedes the rest of the city from developing advantageous financial, employment, business, and cultural contacts with the ghettoized group.” — Ed Glaeser

Economic fault lines take the form of “islands and seas” for many, isolating citizens from participating in the Digital Age. While neighborhoods have these islands of refuge, they are surrounded by a sea of obstacles and threats. A socioeconomic equilibrium manifest within this cleavage, dominating the marginalized.

This digital divide and prevailing equilibrium has exacerbated why more than 50% of young men of color from urban communities are in jail, prison, on probation, or on parole (Stevenson 2012). The District alone is home to more than 32,000 formerly incarcerated citizens, with several hundred transitioning in transition at any given time. And the number of at risk youth continues to grow.

This is why humble recently announced a Partnership with Changing Perceptions and DC’s Community Carrot to Provide Continuum of Entrepreneurship Training for Underserved Communities.

We look to serve as a gravitational force, removing the connectivity bottleneck, foster “trust cultures”, and accelerate community collaboration to thwart the despotic effects of even well-intended plans.

2. Market Inertia & Adverse Outcomes from Well-Intended Plans

“The error has come from the fact that, seeing constantly the interests of the great doing battle with those of the people, one thought only of the struggle instead of paying attention to the results of that struggle, which was the important part.” — Alexis de Tocqueville

Across history we’ve found ourselves reactive to market forces and demographic shifts as we advance the functional design of cities for the future. Many of the most egregious examples result from integration initiatives of the 1950’s — housing, schools, busing, etc.

In more recent times we see the third order effects of planning in the wholesale overhaul of District neighborhoods. While many believe politicians may not even be able to influence the negative effects of gentrification, conscious citizens can. Higher real estate leases not only effect where people live, but where they open businesses. And in many cases, it moves beyond expenses where the very customer base of these minority-owned businesses have been migrated out of access to the very shops they once frequented daily.

In a Washington Post article by Marc Fisher from a few years back: District resident, business owner and Benin immigrant, Victor Metonou said, “The neighborhood is safer, cleaner and nicer, he says, but for whom?” This rising tide has failed to lift all boats — just ask Wards 7, 8, and most of 4.

You can’t fault the entrepreneurial individuals that saw opportunity, where many had written off despair. City planning strategies often are designed to attract outsiders and generate revenue to enable “needed” social services programs. I argue that this flawed vision is what underpins the very socioeconomic equilibrium existing today. Not all visions are equal.

3. Complexities in the Conflict of Visions

“Where visions conflict irreconcilably, whole societies may be torn apart. Conflicts of interest dominate the short run, but conflicts of visions dominate history.” — Thomas Sowell

In Thomas Sowell’s Conflict of Visions, he highlights why we can’t afford to comprehend the complexities of the competing constrained and unconstrained visions and where they lie.

Social visions, especially as they relate to equality have divided us, since before our more perfect Union was cemented and continued across the centuries from Hamilton to Godwin to Smith to Paine — Burke, Rousseau and Hobbes, Galbraith and Hayek, Friedman and others.

While special interests may circle the sphere of influence across party lines, let’s ensure those of us committed to cultivating an inclusive city for the future, create the dialog necessary to appreciate conflicting visions and enable an advanced citizenry I believe exist among us to transform the equilibrium.

4. Collaboration in Transforming the Equilibrium

“Community can be squandered, and shallow interactions can drain energy from making real impact.” — Josh Constine

Mayor Bowser’s commitments, in partnership with the D.C. Innovation & Technology Inclusion Council, to turn the tide of economically marginalized Wards of the city were illustrated in the Pathways to Inclusion report released last November. Specific goals include:

· First, we will expand the capacity of DC residents to engage in the tech economy by creating 5,000 new tech jobs for underrepresented workers.

· Second, we will grow our tech economy by creating 500 new tech businesses founded by underrepresented entrepreneurs.

· Third, building on our city’s diversity, we will establish the most inclusive culture among tech ecosystems on the East Coast.

I agree with the Mayor that the District is strong in diversity, but so are most of the leading innovative cities of our time. The challenge will be cultivating inclusion to serve as this national model for technology and entrepreneurship, something D.C. has failed to do yet — among its local leaders, co-working spaces, and vast program offerings.

We must map the “interlocking interests” perpetuating the current socioeconomic equilibrium, harness active bureaucracy, visualize an inclusive theory of change, leverage effectiveness of citizens’ taxes, and as “obligatory citizens” hold the ecosystem collective accountable to equitable metrics.

This is no easy task and as a District entrepreneur, mentor, investor, and evangelist I can tell you we have a long way to go.

If you’re interested in collaborating and/or contributing in cultivating a more humble D.C., connect with us at start@humble.vc.