November 15, 2016

The Rise of Cities in Trumpian Times

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The concept of the City State is associated with classical Athens. Athens was host to citizens who studied science, philosophy and history,and lived a life surrounded by arts, architecture and literature along with democratic governance.The return of the importance of the City state is occurring in the United States where cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco have publicly stated that they will be sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants even if they lose federal funding under the new President Elect.
Klaus Kunzmann  has written on the ramifications of planning in the Trumpian era. The  Brexit vote in Great Britain divided the urban and the rural areas. A  similar split has occurred in the Trumpian vote in America where  “we can expect the cities, rather than national governments, increasingly to lead efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Of course it would be better if the national governments were helping, rather than undermining their efforts. However, the cities are crucial players and will become even more so. The challenge to their planners is to become more brave and creative, rather than retreating. Zero-energy districts, sustainable travel, closed systems for waste, brownfield renewal, roof gardens, urban agriculture, inclusive planning… the list of possibilities is long, though time could be short.”
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Secondly, Kunzmann notes that marginalized cities and rural places need to have essential services and supports that are often lacking in order to maintain happy and prosperous populations. “We need to think about how to connect local identity, uniqueness, conservation, social enterprises, online learning, and youth entrepreneurship into new pathways to development. “
In many ways Vancouver’s Green City Action Plan to create a strong local economy, vibrant and inclusive neighbourhoods and a city that will meet the needs of future generations provides guidance for American municipalities. Now more than ever it is important to think of resilience and equity and diversity. It will also be important for Metro Vancouver municipalities to listen and to share experiences as American City States go forward by themselves, against dissenting Federal policy.  As Jane Jacobs said “The trouble with paternalists is that they want to make impossibly profound changes, and they choose impossibly superficial means for doing so.”
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  1. Kunzmann the “city planner” just like the American Democrats has zero understanding of rural America. Country folk do not need to be saved from themselves by city folk as the recent elections in America clearly demonstrate.
    What is a “marginalized city”? What would be an example of a marginalized city? Are there any marginalized cities in Canada? Does this term mean, Rust Belt Cities? If so it is very obvious that planners have not prevented the decline of these cities, if anything they are contributors to their destruction as they have not produced a coherent response to economic decline. Planners are helpful during periods of growth, yes, but during periods of decline, not so much. Planners need to take a hard look at themselves if they want to be Planners for everyone.

    1. Perhaps you ascribe to planners too much power. Often as not, they are overwhelmed by powers beyond their control. Moreover, they are unwittingly reactionary to outside influences, or are neutered by the policies of those who have the real power: politicians and corporations.

    2. A “marginalized city” is one where each urban vote is worth less than a rural vote so that senior governments make decisions that are not in the best interests of the city.
      Therefore, an example of a “marginalized city” is… all of them. We could be doing so much better. We could actually keep homelessness at bay. We could solve most of our pressing issues. But we are marginalized because the vast majority our tax dollars are taken by senior governments and used as they see fit on our behalf.
      Country folk have zero understanding of urban issues. We do not need to be saved from ourselves by senior governments disproportionately elected by country folk

        1. I’ll have the little bubble comment in mind next time I read about a small town poli griping about how the Lower Mainland, with almost 60% of the population and GDP “get’s it all.” That’s certainly not true on a per capita basis.

  2. We need to think on City States for our large cities/metro areas over 2,000,000 people-Toronto, Vancouver/Metro Vancouver, and Montreal. As we see from our own premier, provinces do not have the skills or political/staff desires to support development of vibrant green cities. They focus on highways not transit and the desire of developers and business people, not the residents of these large people places. George Massey Bridge, Vancouver to Powell River highway, not rapid transit, not LRT, not fast intercity rail.

    1. Yet, most MLAs are elected in cities.
      But indeed we take far too much on the federal and provincial levels and not enough in cities. For example, why does PST, GST or even employment taxes not go to the points of origin, i.e. cities ?
      We are indeed grossly overtaxed on the federal level as GST of 5% and income taxes of up to 33% goes to the federal government & provinces takes 7% and 10% of income. Cities get nothing. It is insane ! Cities are starved for cash.

      1. Just recently you said senior governments shouldn’t contribute to transit etc. and local governments should foot the bill.
        Would you please make up your mind?

  3. Marginalized cities as the term is used by Kunzmann the city planner describes Rust Belt Cities that have lost their manufacturing base to cheap off shore labour. He would describe this phenomenon as the loss of territorial cohesion. He does not seem to know what to do about this other than suggesting on-line learning for unemployed youth which is a rather pathetic response.
    “Fixing” marginalized Rust Belt Cities is not a matter of who has or has not the power. It is not a matter of taxation either. It is a matter of ideas, a matter of who has the ideas. I would hope that of all the professions it is the “Planner”, the social planner, the economic planner, the heritage planner, the land use planner, the transportation planner, the “Planner” who can manage the decline of cities. Is not this the character we should look to for solutions? But where does the “Planner” harvest ideas as it is not apparent in the case of the Rust Belt Cities that there are fruitful ideas within the planning community?

    1. People move to a region for one of two reasons:
      a) there are jobs, or
      b) it is “nice” to live, nicer than where they live today
      Nice is in the eye of the beholder, and “nice” can mean cheaper as they retire, say to Okanagan or Vancouver island or Sunshine Coast or Interior BC. Nice from a Chinese point of view, for example, means cleaner air, better schools, weak tax enforcement, low property taxes, close to an airport, many other expatriates so that speaking the local language is not a requirement.
      Many rust belt cities are dying as they are ugly and cold. Many are reviving as they are quite nice to live in, and create new jobs. Planner do not create jobs. Businesses do, with support from universities, thinkers, leaders and government support. A low taxation is critical and Vancouver is clearly on the wrong path here with very high property taxes for businesses. it attracts people with cash as a clean green beautiful resort city. if you have to work and make less than $60,000/year (say) you will find plenty of cheaper housing south of the Fraser or Burnaby and east in the condo tower ghettos.

      1. Folks move for a multitude of reasons!
        You cannot speak for the Chinese community!
        Nice…..(means) that speaking the local language is not a requirement… is a racist statement!
        To say that cities are dying because they are ugly and cold is an idiotic statement!
        To say that cities are reviving because they are nice is also an idiotic statement!
        Taxation is a business that creates millions of jobs, higher taxes means more jobs!
        Vancouver is not a marginalized city! You are off topic!

        1. Jobs are jobs are jobs. Private AND public sector jobs create wealth by the well-known (at least in economics) multiplier effect. The dollars get spent, saved and recycled into new dollars. The public sector generates a massive chunk of the GDP, as does the private sector.

        2. Public sector jobs are far more inefficient and usually grossly overpaid. For the same public $s you get far more private sector jobs.
          Sunny (or even Trumpian) Ways deficit spending is an illusion !
          US GDP growth may be hobbled due to massive debt and even more planned under Trump http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-11-14/trump-or-no-trump-why-next-8-years-will-be-worst-economic-period-us-history
          Unlike EU which has similar problems the US has massive taxation room left, for example $1/gallon of gasoline or a 4% GST/VAT would be very doable and eliminate much of the new dent. Will President Trump, the house and senate go for it though ? Spending is easy, but balancing a budget not so much. Will they be able to make the tough tough calls to cut waste/inefficiencies but also raise taxes where warranted ?

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