To Succeed, Cities Need to Be Themselves

Unfortunately, most cities are still stuck in high school. Theythink it is about having the accoutrements of the cool places, notrealizing that they are just like Charlie Brown trying to kick thatfootball. What’s worse, they actually seem determined in many cases todownplay or leave behind many of their strongest brand assets in anyattempt to be like the cool kids. (For more on this, see my piece, “The Brand Promise of Indianapolis”)

To renew our cities, we have to build on what they are, not whatthey aren’t. The lesson of Portland is not the physical things Portland did. The lesson of Portland is that they went their own way and didwhat was right for them. Other cities need to find their own paths.That doesn’t mean you can’t do something or aspire to be somethingyou’ve never been. That’s how we grow as people and as cities. Butsuddenly deciding to just chuck your whole heritage, history, character, etc. and go in a radically different direction is probably not going to work. One reason, for example, the 1970’s era amateur sports strategyfor Indianapolis worked is that sports was something that was alreadycompatible with the local culture. It was a reworking of something that was already there, positioned for the future -- and it fit the city.