SoapBlog 1: Fences vs. Streetcars
Bobby Maly
Allow me to introduce myself with one of my favorite Mark Twain quotes: “Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it.”
You were expecting a different Twain quote weren’t you—one about Cincinnati specifically? I apologize, but that quote has been forever retired heretofore due to the fact that it just isn’t true. Based on recent successes and direction, we’re acting like a progressive group of people again - people who are going to build a streetcar.
Can/should we build a streetcar system here? The answer is: yes we must. And here’s a not-as-often-cited reason why.
Is anyone else tired of talking about ‘brain drain’ and ‘attracting and retaining young talent’ and want to do more doing? You might interchange those phrases with Twain’s ‘weather.’ But unlike the weather, we can do something about attraction and retention.
Our City Government has wisely recognized the idea of dense mixed use development occurring along transportation lines is neither new nor untested. In 1800, our city was born because of a river and a significant number of steamboats (which we built here) on that river. In 1825 we proved to be early adopters of the canal, which led to explosive growth along the canal passages. Conversely, delays throughout the 1860s in adopting a direct railroad connection to New York and Chicago prevented city growth. Failure to complete the subway system in 1925 didn’t help us grow either.
It is a fact that people in this country have always been, are now, and will continue to be attracted to transportation lines. The lines induce development. The development attracts people, which attract other people. Jobs, environmental benefits, lifestyle benefits, connecting investment, connecting job centers and increased tax bases are all well documented arguments in favor of streetcars as demonstrated in clear and numerous case studies.
But here’s the most significant reason why our City will build a streetcar system.
Because we have one of the most successful corporate communities in America. Ask Fortune 500. These companies are built and sustained by attracting the best and brightest. The next best and brightest are 24-35 year olds. It’s simple, if you need that talent, create things that attract them. We know this group wants mass transit and environmental forward thinking. We know 50% live in (and 66% near) walkable high density urban neighborhoods. We know the streetcar goes a long way in creating that place because it creates smaller communities where chance encounters and random occurrences with real people are possible.
And we know there aren’t enough 25-34 year olds to go around. There are loser cities in which this demographic is not choosing to live. They are voting with their feet. Did you know that 66% of this group chooses a city to live in before finding a job? The ten cities best at growing this population group all have one thing in common—mass transit. It is a fact. So let’s embrace that fact and get busy getting more attractive.
There are important details to resolve on our streetcar endeavor, but we need a shared commitment for how to, not if. Stadiums don’t do it. YP initiatives at the Chamber are great, but they are not the bold difference-maker. As an added bonus, the other highly mobile demographic, empty nesters, are picking the same cities as their younger counterparts for many of the same reasons. We need to create an environment attractive to these movers now or lose them forever.
A friend of mine said, “the streetcar is sign of a city that wants to behave differently.” I like that. There are such things as defining moments. 1800. 1825. 1860. 1925. How will we remember 2009? We need riders of streetcars, not fences. Let’s go.
If you’d like more information on the streetcar, please email streetcarcincy@yahoo.com.