http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/462178064/building-better-citiesCan we make this part of orientation for State, County and City leaders? Some real common sense stuff in there:
1) People don't move to or stay in cities for the retail shopping
2) Public spaces make a city
3) Cities don't have to wait for other governments to come up with a solution
4) If you can't get basic government functions done well (schools, police, fire, fixing pot holes) then citizens are less likely to enable you to provide aspirational programs
5) What the elite of a city view as important, might not be to a majority of the population
If you do nothing else, spend 12 minutes listening to #5 listed on that page. The City Planner when New York revitalized its water front, discovered that Brooklyn was "cool," and oversaw the development of the Highline. Good incite on what makes a city work in the long term and how that sometimes conflicts with the short-term profit motives of developers. Simple example: developers didn't care about the Highline project at all, until it was wildly popular, made real estate and new projects in that area take off, and drew in millions of visitors. Then they wanted to tear down the remaining 1/3rd to use for development and line the rest with shops to "capitalize" on the asset. Totally ignoring what made the space work in the first place.
Sound familiar? (*cough* Turnkey Mountain restaurant *cough*)