Knight Cities Challenge: What's your best idea to make Macon more successful?
Walking or biking through Macon's College Hill Corridor, you can feel change in the air. Over the past six years, the people of College Hill, an area that connects Mercer University with historic downtown Macon, have come together to revitalize the Corridor. It is an example of big ideas that are making a big impact.
There's no denying that Macon-Bibb County is on the upswing, and many in our community are feeling it. But what's behind Macon's new energy, and what can we do to maintain, support and expand this transformation? How do we ensure Macon-Bibb continues to become a more vibrant place to live and work?
These are questions that the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is putting $15 million over three years into answering in Macon and 25 other communities across the United States. The foundation believes that it is our own residents, business owners, designers, artists, planning professionals, hackers, architects, Macon-Bibb officials, educators, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, block captains and students who have the solutions, and it wants them to take hold of Macon's future. All are welcome to submit ideas to the Knight Cities Challenge (knightcities.org) which asks the question: What's your best idea to make cities more successful? Ideas should focus on what the foundation believes are the three key drivers of success in Macon:
Talent: Attracting and keeping talented people
Opportunity: Expanding economic opportunity
Engagement: Creating a culture of civic engagement.
Why these three focus areas, instead of traditional metrics such as better school systems or more employers? Because research has shown that these three concepts are the real key to long-term success in our communities. Strengthening these aspects of our community is a holistic approach to community success; it gives our community the tools it needs to do everything else.
Businesses already know that attracting talented and educated workers is good for their companies, but it turns out that it's good for all of us. Cities are stronger for everyone when they can attract people with skills, education and the ability to succeed. To remain competitive, cities must make it clear that they offer a diverse culture and vibrant lifestyle to appeal to talented people.
Expanding opportunity means both expanding economic prospects broadly and eliminating barriers that leave the wealthy and the poor disconnected from one another. It also means bridging the divides of race and class in today's economy that exacerbate inequalities among workers. To do this, cities should create spaces where people of diverse backgrounds can connect across economic barriers so that strengths can be shared throughout the community.
The third key driver, engagement, focuses on spurring connections between residents and driving civic involvement. We know that residents must take hold of their cities' futures if they want them to succeed. We need to find ways to encourage residents to be engaged and to band together with others to set the agenda for change.
We know Macon is a place full of ideas. In last year's Knight Cities Challenge, Macon produced four finalists and two eventual winners, despite the fierce competition from around the country. Somewhere in Macon, another winning idea is waiting.
Now there's a chance for all of us to actively participate in Macon's future. Do your part and submit an idea at knightcities.org before the Oct. 27 deadline.
No project is too small — as long as your idea is big.
Beverly Blake is the Macon program director for Knight Foundation. She can be reached at blake@knightfoundation.org.
This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 10:22 PM with the headline "Knight Cities Challenge: What's your best idea to make Macon more successful? ."