The title of this blog post comes from a terrific TEDx talk by urban planner Ed McMahon. Near the end of his talk he says:
The justification for preserving the special places of Florida is not just about the economy of this state. It's about the psychology of this state as well. Ladies and gentlemen, you can grow without destroying the things that people love.
Hearing that, I thought of all the things that the City of Salem has allowed to be destroyed in the name of illusory economic progress. Illusory, because McMahon makes clear that a city can't prosper unless it offers a sense of place that is unique.
The more any community … looks just like every other community, the less reason there is to go there. On the other hand, the more a community enhances its distinctiveness that's natural, architectural, cultural, artistic … the more people want to go there.
Recently Salem has lost an ancient urban forest and historic Howard Hall, because City officials thought a Salem Hospital parking lot was more important. Five beautiful, large, healthy downtown trees were cut down because the U.S. Bank president wanted them removed for no good reason. Plans for a billion dollar unneeded Third Bridge continue that would uglify the riverfront and demolish dozens of homes and businesses.
Salem's Mayor, City Manager, city councilors, and other top officials need to take the message of McMahon's talk to heart, before this town sinks further into economic and cultural mediocrity. Salem can't keep on destroying the things people love if it wants to be a place that people love.
I've set up this video of "Where am I? The Power of Uniqueness" so it starts at the 8:05 minute mark, about halfway through. I found the end of McMahon's talk the most relevant to us here in Salem, Oregon. But you really should watch the whole thing.
Here's a transcript of some things McMahon said in this part of his talk that particularly resonated with me.
The surrounding environment was the single most important factor affecting the market value of a home. Another thing that affects value and sense of place is the presence or absence of historic buildings and neighborhoods.
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Let's fly out to Seattle and let's go to the Pike Place Farmers Market. That's the number one destination in the state of Washington.
It gets visited by millions of people a year, and yet about 35 years ago there were some people on the Seattle City Council who seriously proposed tearing it down. Why? They said, well we need more downtown parking. Like parking for what? You can have all the parking in the world. If there's nothing to do, no one's ever going to want to go there.
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Why is it do you think that people feel a sense of loss like losing a loved one or a friend when a grove of trees is cut down, a historic building demolished, a scenic view obliterated?
It's not because we can't plant new trees or build new buildings. Its because I believe our sense of identity and well being is tied in a very profound way to special buildings and places and views. These places are invested with rich symbolic importance that contributes to our identity and well-being in a way no less fundamental than religion or language or culture.
And here's the content of a Better Cities and Towns blog post about McMahon's TEDx talk, "The Economic Value of a Unique Place."
How many times have you heard someone say, dismissively, "Oh, that's just aesthetics," or, defensively, "It's not just aesthetics" to signal that a "real" issue is involved, usually economics.
Hogwash, says Urban Land Institute scholar Ed McMahon. When it comes to communities, aesthetics and design are economics, because they are critical to a unique place. McMahon makes his case in a fascinating, 17-minute TED talk that should be watched by every tourism board in America.
"The image of a community is fundamentally important to its economic well being," says McMahon. "Decisions such as where to invest, where to work, where to retire, and where to vacation are all made based on what a community looks like."
In today's economy, the quality of place matters the most. "In a world where capital is footloose, if you can't differentiate [your town] from any other, you have no competitive advantage," he says.
Tourism depends on the image of the community and the quality of place. "Tourism is the biggest industry in the world. It is the first, second, or third largest industry in every single American state," he says. Tourism is about visiting places that are different, unusual, or unique.
In other words, if the primary image of a community is a large commercial strip with big box stores and franchise businesses that are available every place else in America, why would anybody go there on vacation?
"The more any community … looks just like every other community, the less reason there is to go there. On the other hand, the more a community enhances its distinctiveness that's natural, architectural, cultural, artistic … the more people want to go there because that's exactly what tourism is."
The San Antonio River Walk, pictured above, is the most visited place in Texas. It is the basis for the city's multibillion dollar tourism industry. "Yet at one point the city thought so little of that river that they considered putting it underground."
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