I’m on a flight to Singapore as I write this article. I’m going about
as far away as you can get from Cincinnati. Somehow it seems vaguely
appropriate at this time to reflect on my relationship with Cincinnati
(24 hours in the air can make anything seem profound).
I am a
native son, a product of the working class parishes of the west side.
At a young age, I was a restless searcher, I suppose, and found a need
for both artistic expression and travel. I picked up a degree in
design at UC. My travels started with a backpack, relying on my thumb
or a Eurail Pass to get me to my next destination. Today, I find
myself sitting in this tony seat, on an airplane headed for the other
side of the world. (Yes, ma’am, I believe I will have another
chardonnay.)
So, my restlessness has served me well. I’ve built
a great career based on some fundamental passions I discovered early.
Importantly, my travels have given me a dose of something that seems to
be in very short supply in Cincinnati – perspective.
Singapore
is a fascinating place to visit. It is described by some as “Asia
light,” pristine and modern with just a touch of Little India,
Chinatown, and Malay life, all thriving side by side in this tiny
city-state of three million. Singapore is different than Cincinnati in
almost every way imaginable. It’s fun to spend a moment thinking about
the Singapore story and then reflect on our hometown. Lee Kuan Yew
took hold of a desperately poor city-state that was badly served in
turn by the British, the Japanese and the Malay Federation. He turned
this backward city into one of the most remarkable places on earth, all
within the time frame of one generation. Benevolent dictators can make
things happen fast.
Singapore has developed a certain arrogance;
Singaporeans are noted for their self-confidence, bordering on
boastfulness. But even they are a bit edgy today, as they think about
their place in the evolving global economy. They are looking to new
ideas, like design, to be an engine for growth in the worldwide
creative economy that’s unfolding. What got them there, won’t keep
them there, and they know it. And by the way, Singapore, for all of
its success, is described by some as the most crushingly dull place in
Asia.
My thoughts then turn to Cincinnati; a city with a
remarkable history – beautiful topography, great architecture, great
parks and an impressive art scene. In the 19th Century, Cincinnati was
something of a Singapore; big, brassy, inventive and confident – a must
see on the world tour of the likes of Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde.
Not all that long ago, we still maintained an unbearable sense of
our superiority. We were the first large city that wasn’t on the East
Coast. Even in my lifetime, we were the only city worth mentioning
between Chicago and the East. Upstarts like Atlanta, Charlotte, and
certainly our neighbors, Indianapolis and Columbus, were not even
worthy of consideration.
It seems almost in an instant
everything changed. Other cities passed us by. A surge of cynicism
developed and a precipitous drop in our self-esteem enveloped us.
Soon, we were scrambling to outdo one another in finding new ways to
insult our town. It makes we wonder whether Singapore, as it adjusts
to a changing world, could find itself on the wrong side of self image
in a relatively short amount of time. It seems preposterous but then I
never thought it could happen here.
Of much more interest to me,
however, is the recent return toward confidence in our city. Urban
living is cool again and Cincinnati is once again in its ascendancy.
Yes, there are still vestiges of the negative thinking out there, but
those opinions are increasingly the uninformed remnants of old stories.
Let’s Get Spiky
Richard Florida in his latest book,
Who's Your City, challenges the basic assumption of Thomas Freedman in his book,
The World is Flat.
Freedman argues that technology has made the world flat; globalization
spreads out economic activity. As Freedman writes, “You can innovate
without having to immigrate.”
“Not so fast,” says Florida. “The world isn’t flat.”
Yes,
the spread of routine economic functions; such as, simple manufacturing
or service work, can be done in a more cost-effective way in low cost
countries. But, other high-level activities; such as, innovation,
design, finance, and media are clustering in a relatively small number
of locations. The world is not flat; in fact, the world is a bit
spiky. These spikes create their own eco systems of leading edge
universities, high-powered companies, flexible labor markets, and
venture capital. The world is full of spiky peaks and valleys. People
in the spiky places are often more connected with others, even from
halfway around the world, than they are to people and places in their
own back yards. That could explain why I’m flying halfway around the
world to lecture at a Singapore Design Council Conference. Florida
writes that, “Peak to peak connectivity is, in fact, accelerating by a
highly mobile creative class of about 150 million people world-wide.”
This
type of thinking makes us reflect on our outlook for Cincinnati. The
struggle between the innovative talent attracting “have regions” and
the talent exporting “have not regions” is escalating. Florida and
others suggest that talent clustering is a primary determinate of
economic growth. When people, especially talented and creative ones,
come together, ideas flow more freely. Clustering makes each of us
more productive, which in turn, makes the place we inhabit even more
so. This is called the clustering force.
That is why the
Regional Chamber is focused on young professionals. Harnessing young
professional energy (H.Y.P.E.) is a good place for the Chamber to
focus. Young professionals bring energy, creativity and stamina to the
work of community building. Cincinnati will be more fun, more
tolerant, more diverse and more prosperous as we create an environment
that serves the ambitions of YPs. We are on our way. We have far to
go. Let’s enjoy the journey.
Watch your back Singapore!