Monday, June 21, 2004
Mayor Daley in Chicago has made a bold commitment to green building technology. It's a smart move as a way of postiioning redevelopment in his city. Read more.
He is not alone. Citizen groups in Cleveland and Pittsburgh are also embracing green building design. In Cleveland, EcoCity Cleveland shapes the agenda. Sustainable Pittsburgh serves the same function in that city.
Focusing on environmentally sensitive design represents an important strategy for revitalizing older industrial areas. (Brownfield reclamation is part of the same approach.) As metro regions sprawl, we are creating less efficient cost structures under our metro economies. We are building new, more dispersed infrastructures to support lower population densities. Our "social overhead" is increasing: more roads, water lines, fire departments, and so on for a given level of economic activity.
Mayor Daley's strategy represents a positive alternative.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
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Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Chicago's mayor presses a "green" agenda
