On Saturday, at the Grandin CoLab, CityWorks (X)po organizer Brad Stephens introduced a new concept to the popular community development conference: the handing out of six placemaker awards.
“These are the people changing how we’re thinking about what’s possible in our communities,” Stephens said.
Winners were: Education Placemaker, Monique Ingram, Community Health Educator for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic; Business Placemaker, Steve Ambruzs and Kelsey Harrington, owner and manager of the year-old, downtown shop Downshift Bikes; Nonprofit Placemaker, Janice Dinkins Davidson, executive director of Children’s Trust; Community Placemaker, founder of nonprofit The Humble Hustle Company Xavier Duckett; Government Placemaker, recently retired Roanoke city Neighborhood Services Coordinator Bob Clement; and Placemaker of the Year, newly elected city council member Joe Cobb.
“If you see something that needs to be done, just do it,” said Duckett, as he took his glass-etched award. “There’s so much to this city and there’s so much this city has to offer.”
The event was the icing on three days of presentations, conversations and networking among planners, architects, city leaders and institute representatives.
Beginning Thursday under the elegant chandeliers of the Patrick Henry Hotel ballroom, speakers from all fields held forth — economists, philanthroids, planners, architects, writers, politicians and nonprofit leaders.
The most compelling presenters brought to life their real-world projects: neighborhood revitalization in South Florida, new paths to charitable giving in Cincinnati, youth urban gardening in New Orleans, economic development in Ohio and senior housing in Asia.
But there were plenty of big picture takeaways, as well.
A major theme of the conference was the importance of building trust in communities, among project players, with those on the opposite side of the political fence.
“The question becomes whether people can trust each other enough to get things done,” said Marc Stern, professor in Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.
One repeated refrain was that each place’s challenges would be increasingly addressed at the local level — using locally devised solutions implemented by local leaders. “Tomorrow’s challenges are not going to be solved by some global or national organization,” said Eric Avner, Vice President of The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Another oft-referenced concept was the importance of anchor institutions, such as hospitals and universities, to their communities. “If anchor institutions thought about the way they purchased goods and services, think of the impact they could have?” asked Stephen Pedigo, assistant professor of economic development at NYU. And later: “One thing I don’t think cities have done enough of is embrace their institutions.”
Despite a national political climate often at odds with the progressive work touted at the conference, the vibe from the speakers was decidedly upbeat. “I think there are some real opportunities here,” said Lynn Richards, president and CEO of the Congress for the New Urbanism, referring to spending cuts and staff turnovers at many governmental programs. “We need to celebrate and embrace the power of incrementalism.”
Instead of bemoaning leaders at the national or international level, speakers urged attendees to seek solutions from all walks of community life, meeting people where they were, and focusing on deep listening to hear their truths.
Germane Barnes, designer-in-residence at the Opa Locka Community Development Corporation, spoke a new golden rule: “Treat people not the way you want to be treated but the way THEY want to be treated,” he said.
And from Sunil Yapa, author of the Roanoke Valley Reads 2018 book, Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist: “Radical empathy is imagining ourselves into the minds of what we might call our enemies.
“Because then we might be asked to forgive them for being flawed and human and angry.”
This year, (X)po organizers worked to break down barriers between audience and speakers by making time for more audience questions and creating speaker panels. The conference was moved to a space with round tables to foster participant cross-pollination. “We wanted to create a more interactive, more conversational experience,” said Matt McKimmy, a CityWorks organizer.
The biggest disappointment of the conference was how few people took advantage of the big ideas circulating in the rooms. Although roughly 100 people registered for the conference, at its peak some 60 folks sat around white-clothed tables. And as the days worn on, that number dwindled.
“We are in year eight,” said (X)po organizer Stephens. “Keeping people’s attention is hard.”
For more information about City Works (X)po viii, head to cityworksxpo.com
About the Writer:
Christina Nifong is a writer with a decades-long career profiling interesting people, places and ideas. She’s also a committed locavore and mother to three kids, four chickens and one very sweet kitty. Find more of her work at christinanifong.com.
