Urban communities and metropolitan regions are growing rapidly. At the Center for Neighborhood Technology, we believe that this combination of economic growth and accelerating urbanization holds the promise of a better life for the world's population, because cities are the key to equitable wealth creation, efficient resource use and livable communities.We believe that urban communities can only fulfill this promise and achieve fundamental change based on a new sense of collaborative advantage. Positive change requires that communities realize their chances of succeeding are greater when they act together, rather than on their own. Link
Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken might not know a soprano from a saxophone, but he knows this: the Cincinnati Opera brings in more than 30,000 patrons a year.That's 30,000 people who rent hotel rooms, shop downtown and eat dinner at some of Cincinnati's finest restaurants. And during festival weekends, in which the opera performs two separate works in the same weekend, opera lovers from 34 states converge on Cincinnati.
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"I will admit that I don't know much about the opera, the symphony or the ballet - though I do enjoy going to them," Luken said. "It has just seemed to me that the city must recognize its growth potential, and the arts provides the biggest growth potential I can think of."
It's arts as economic development. Link
"Unifying the Community"
When: Saturday, April 26, 2003, Noon - 5pm
Where: South Side High School, 3601 S. Clinton St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802
- No admission charge
- Sample foods from different countries
- Learn about the culture and customs of others
- Enjoy the music and dance of various lands
- Contact Zenovia Pearson 260-427-2625 for additional information
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Sponsored by the City of Fort Wayne and Towr Bank with representatives from over 20 countries that have chosen Fort Wayne as their new home!
Fort Wayne has two candidates that will be attending The Memphis Manifesto next week and reporting back on the ideas and events there.Hosted by Richard Florida, The Memphis Manifesto Summit is an unprecedented gathering of the Creative 100, the best and brightest, most active and creative young minds from across the U.S. These 100 young professionals will share their thoughts and insights in the areas of business, culture, design, society, education and science to create the Memphis Manifesto — the definitive report on transforming cities that want to compete for the Creative Class. Link
A discussion about Fort Wayne's Creative Economy has been started on The Journal Gazette's The Board.
Location: Fox Island County Park
Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4, 2003
The annual "Sol Fest" Festival takes place at Fox Island Park next weekend. This is a fun filled family event with two full days of local musicians, edible insects, bicycle demos, ultrazone climbing wall, clowns, food vendors, Mad Anthony beer tent, face painting, and many other happenings. (Full schedule inside)
Schedule:
Both Days
Artist Fair, Marketplace, Mad Anthony Beer Garden, Caricature Artist, Clowns, Summit City Bicycle Demonstrations, Evans Toyota Hybrid Prius, Food Vendors, Botanical Conservatory, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Little River Wetlands Project, and much more.
Saturday Events
7:00 am Audubon Hike
9:00 am Kids Fishing Derby
11:00 am Live Raptor Show w/ Soarin' Hawk
12:00, 2:30 & 4:00 pm Wildflower Hikes
12:00-4:00 pm Kayak Demos w/ Root's Outdoor Outfitters
12:00-5:00 pm Children's Craft Tent
12:00-5:00 pm Hayrides
3:00 pm Edible Insects
Saturday Bands
12:30-1:30 Jason Shuck
2:00-3:00 pm Todd Harrold Band
3:30-4:30 pm Grateful Groove
5:00-6:00 pm Freak Brothers
6:30-8:00 pm White Thunder (Native American Drum Circle)
Sunday Events
1:00 pm Live Raptor Show w/ Soarin' Hawk
12:30 & 4:00 pm Wildflower Hikes
12:00-4:00 pm Kayak Demos w/ Root's Outdoor Outfitters
12:00-5:00 pm Children's Craft Tent
12:00-5:00 pm Hayrides
3:00 pm Edible Insects
Sunday Bands
1:00-2:00 pm Wailhounds
2:30-3:30 pm Hoochie Mama Get Down
4:00-5:00 pm Shelly Dixon Band
5:30-7:00 pm Rich Hardesty
Sponsored by: Channel 21, Extreme 102.3, Comcast, Mad Anthony Brewing Co., Bait and Hook, Meijer, Sam's Club, Subway, and Root's Outdoor Outfitters
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Source: Mad Anthony Brewing Co.
The Fort Wayne Women's Bureau presents the International Women's Club
Thursday, April 24 : Lucy Narvaez, "A Woman's Life in Mexico"
Thursday, May 29 : Hedayah Samavati, "A Women's Life in Iran"
Future meetings to feature "A Woman's Life":
India China Israel Sri Lanka Bolivia and Peru
All meetings are from 6 to 8 pm at the Fort Wayne Women's Bureau, 3521 Lake Ave., (260-424-7977) (Located in the Professional Plaza at the corner of Lake & Laverne, across from the Catholic cemetery, mid-way between Coliseum and Hobson)
Join other women the last Thursday of the month to share cultural information and make new friends. This event is free and open to the public. Free-will donations will be accepted.
For more information, Please call Fina Beck (260) 427-7072 or Kathy Clark (260) 373-1999
If you want to see Richard Florida, author of best-selling book RISE OF THE CREATIVE CLASS, speaking at IPFW again (or for the first time) tune in to IPFW cable channel 56 any of the following times:
Sun, May 4 — 7:30 p.m.
Mon, May 5 — 4:30 & 8:30 p.m.
Wed, May 7 — 2:30 p.m.
Thurs, May 8 — 2:30 & 8:30 p.m.
Fri, May 9 — 10:30 a.m.
Sat, May 10 — 3:30 & 7 p.m.
Larry Zepp's editorial appears in the News-Sentinel about the relationship between creative class and Allen County Airport Authority's decision to improve our northside airport, Smith Field - check it out.
The campaign to realize the value of Smith Field has been led by local business leaders, entrepreneurs, engineers and others in the creative class. Local small-business owners use Smith Field for efficient travel around the Midwest and beyond. Many of these businesses were planning to move outside the county if Smith Field were closed. IPFW faculty are already involved in a task force working to identify small Indiana airports that might become part of NASA's Small Aircraft Transportation System. Cities that embrace this new air transportation will have greatly expanded mobility and economic growth. Read Larry Zepp's entire article in the News-Sentinel.
by Karen Goldner
By popular demand, the monthly technology group get-togethers are back. Next one will be:
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 5-7 p.m.
Henry's, 536 West Main Street (one block east of St. Joe Hospital)
Free parking on-site; no cover or RSVP needed; buy your own beverage, bring your friends and co-workers. (21 + over)
Hope to see you there!
Note: over the next few weeks, we will be posting some of the feedback gathered during the discussion following Richard Florida's March 18th, 2003 talk in Fort Wayne. The following is the fourth of these questions posed. View responses and leave yours by clicking on the 'Comments' link below. Please check back regularly to view more.
How would you describe the essence of Fort Wayne?
Responses from the group discussions that evening:
- Small town ever living in the shadow of Indianapolis.
- Great place to raise a family.
- Park system is fantastic.
- Cultural hub for Northeast Indiana and its recreational opportunities at lakes.
- Big small town. Small enough to get around but close enough to big cities.
- Easy to get from one place to another.
- Different activities here, has to find and seek them out.
- Hot bed of creativity and inventiveness has lost most of critical mass, needs to celebrate that history.
- Take our cultures for granted.
-More resources for the community should be developed at IPFW. This university [IPFW] will strengthen the appeal of Fort Wayne.
- Islands or pockets of innovation and creativity disconnected from one another but in search of networking
by Peggy Seigel
The History Center (formerly Fort Wayne-Allen Co. Historical Society) will host a lecture by Ralph Frese at 2:00pm Sunday, April 6, on how canoes and pirogues have shaped our area's history.
Mr. Frese, from the Chicago area, is a 4th generation blacksmith who began building canoes for his son's scout troop. He operates a world famous canoe shop, the Chicago Land Canoe Base, and has recently been recognized for his outstanding role in canoeing with the award "Legends of Paddling."
With canoing the Illinois River becoming popular, and downtown Peoria, IL developing a river landing that is becoming a major attraction (source: the most recent AAA magazine), developing interest in using our city's waterways could revitalize them as a destination spot and encourage greater environmental efforts to clean them up.
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The History Center is located at 302 East Berry Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802. For more information call (260) 426-2882.
by Matthew A. Doss, Esq.
I applaud the efforts of the many persons who had the vision to bring Dr. Florida to Fort Wayne. I was reassured by his comments that Fort Wayne can, once again, become an economic and cultural leader of the midwest. I was also reassured of my choice to return from a Chicago Law School with a goal to challenge the status quo, to identify and overcome obstacles to create a more successful city and to enhance our postive aspects to ensure economic vibrance.
Dr. Florida used Austin, Texas as a model of a city influenced by it's "Creative Class". I served as an Infantryman in the Army at Fort Hood, Texas which was located just 50 minutes North of Austin. If you were young and wanted to be a part of vibrant community, Austin was the place to go! I believe Fort Wayne can be too. We honestly have the fundamentals and we must capture them before they depart.
At his speech, I had suggested that his creative class approach had many similarities as the "Smart Growth" development approach. In fact, Smart Growth can be one of the many tools to make Fort Wayne the kind of community that our brightest and most talented creative minds would want to reside.
As a current member of the Executive Committee of the NAACP I have come to realize that our community is in trouble:
Economically,
Culturally, and
Politically
The answer is not to weaken our city by continuing this current direction or lack thereof. More importantly, the answer is also not to weaken the diversity that we share in this city.
The answer is to strengthen it with a change in thought and to celebrate our ethnic and cultural mixture through progressive restructuring of our small business development plans.
A healthy environment or a healthy economy — must we choose one over the other?Read Community and Economic Development — Quality of Life and the Environment, prepared by the Indiana Chapter of The Nature Conservancy here.Hardly! Recent research shows — and the success of some communities proves — that we can have both: lots of good-paying jobs and plenty of great outdoor recreational options for hiking, bird watching, fishing, biking, and a host of other activities.
Investing in a healthy business climate and in strong communities, AND preserving and expanding our outdoor recreational choices is the key to creating sound and growing state and local economies. And, the bonus is that all citizens of Indiana will enjoy more of our great natural areas, waterways, parks and preserves than ever before.
A new poll has been added to the sidebar. Leave your comments on this entry.