Beyond what some have shared about the many highlights of the conference, I figured it might be nice to offer a smattering of discussion about the exterior environs of the conference. In this case my subject is the City of Richmond, downtown in particular, and how it relates to the rest of us. I think the setting of any conference has a significant impact on the overall event experience and it merits some consideration. Few might think to comment on it, so I’m throwing out my two bits, for what they’re worth.
I’ve been trying to take every opportunity I get to walk around the community. This included a late night run on Sunday night that culminated in me literally transitioning from a flagging jog to an all out sprint past some rather unsavory characters who were following me in a car in reverse as I passed them. I likely asked for it. After all, who doesn’t like an easy target at 12:20 AM on a Sunday night, exhausted from a run, alone on a deserted side street, and toting a fancy ipod. Perhaps a bit naive on my part. Needless to say it was a refresher in common sense.
As a city planner, I’ve kind of developed a different way of looking at my surroundings, for better or worse. Whenever I go someplace I tend to try and take stock of my environment, looking for cues of good and bad design examples. Traveling away from my home state of California, it’s refreshing to get a look at the “other coast” with this fresh perspective. I especially enjoy the relationship that the built environment shares with the social fabric of any given community. I think I saw a bit of that here even just wandering about.
What has really stricken a chord with me as I wandered the City streets is the stark contrast of a City struggling to redefine itself, chock full of successes and failures in plain sight. There are no doubt some beautiful and amazing features and resources (particularly historic) in this community, including of course the Capitol itself and also the Convention Center along with some other new buildings that have recently been completed (witness the fabulous building on 6th and Broad for example). At the same time, walking down Grace Street this morning, I witnessed buildings undergoing renovation immediately adjacent to an equal number buildings that sat abandoned, unused, and dilapidated. All of this I observed in the span of a 9-city block walk…something that could easily be disregarded on a shuttle bus ride.
The social fabric of the community was most evident for me as I patronized a local business on Monday morning. I’d like to conclude this entry by mentioning briefly a very solid benefit that the ICMA Conference offers, but is not so widely discussed. Economic Impact. I had the distinct pleasure of dining at Perly’s (1st & Grace) for breakfast after having been referred there by a member of the conference host comittee (thanks ladies, you’re the best). Aside from the fact that the dining experience was all around fabulous (and cheap for those on a budget who tire of continental conference fare), what really resonated with me was how warmly I was received by the owner as I checked out. He could not say enough good things about ICMA and the conference; how his business had picked up, and how he genuinely appreciated the support. What’s more, other “regular” customers chimed in to ask questions about how long we (ICMA) would be in town, and how fabulous it was to have us here. This interaction speaks volumes to me on some of the external impacts that ICMA has on communities, even just through the presence of an Annual Conference. I found the open display of gratitude refreshing, and encourage participants to extend themselves as pedestrians beyond the borders of the immediate conference grounds.
More thoughts to come…stay tuned for updates. – Bradley
