Cultural norms are sensitive. Over time people tend to give up or settle for less. Maslow’s hierarchy becomes an alter on which to celebrate survivorship – not the much more critical growth, innovation, enterprise and social vitality. As more people begin to deplete their emotional and financial resources, the social and economic underpinning will begin to erode. What then?
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Declining revenues due to economic woes have had another detrimental effect on state and local government – employee layoffs are at new highs and the depletion of key programs is having a huge impact on service delivery. While there are some who point to government ‘bloat’ as a causative factor in recent and projected layoffs, data suggests that the reduction of government chub began to occur long ago. And, recent cuts have done nothing but eviscerate important capabilities that will again be required as populations grow and demand escalates.
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2010 will not be a bad year. But it is a year in which we must begin to pose workable remedies to deficit spending and pay more attention to rebuilding the fundamental elements of American enterprise, innovation, and infrastructure. So far, there has been no demonstrable or collective political will to undertake the necessary actions. Governors, mayors, councils and commissioners are against the wall. Each state and local community must balance tight budgets while operating lean agencies that can still provide decent and adequate services. It will not get any easier in 2010.
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The good news is that we’ll have enough oil to serve global needs as the economy transforms and we work toward stability. Unfortunately, this respite may cause many to disregard the fact that oil is a finite resource and cannot last forever. Peak oil will have to be recalculated but even a cursory review tells us that consumption is rapidly drawing down reserves. While it may not be the immediate crises reported over the past few years, its long-term significance is huge. Local communities, state agencies, and the federal government must plan for higher costs associated with oil and petroleum by-products, and that covers a lot of territory.
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2010 will see a resurgence of innovation – some subtle, some predictable and some driven by remarkably creative approaches. I am not talking about new inventions. Some of the greatest innovations will come in the form of new methods of providing public services.
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As local communities struggle to balance budgets and seek creative means of growing their economies, it seems wise to assess what attributes these cities have that make them so magnetic. Each has its own idiosyncrasies but there appear to be inherent common themes. Cities that are mobilizing to broaden their economic platforms would do well to determine what magic the listed cities possess.
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Local government is under siege and is struggling to provide basic services while budgets grow less capable of supporting the historic levels required to maintain health, safety, transportation, economic development, and a social network. It is apparent that Wisconsin mayors, city councils and city administrators are grappling with emerging challenges and are aggressively pursuing innovative and collaborative solutions.
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Realities must be faced and addressed through funded programs. It will take enormous political will to seek hard data, share it with every community and begin preparing sensible action plans. Many public works and transportation professionals and their associations have been relegated to a sideline position due to their insistence that infrastructure issues are in fact a huge portion of the national agenda. Infrastructure provides the basic internal framework of the American culture; it is elemental to economic growth, public health, quality of life, security, and National emergency response capability. Can we prepare in time?
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For those of us who work in the arena and focus on practical implementation more than theory, a lot of effort must be dedicated to devloping new equations that are practical, workable, and affordable. I love the new age of community planning. My concern is not ‘What’ we need to aspire toward, but ‘How’ we get there from here with myriad new challenges and costs appearing every quarter. Most public leaders know what should be done; the dilemma is how to accomplish various tasks with limited funds, disenchanted citizens, frustrated employees, and a struggling economy.
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A single point of contact with ample expertise and the ability to handle any issue allows developers and citizen remodelers to move quickly through the permitting and review process. The days of balkanized public agency fiefdoms must come to an end.
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