28 February 2019

Letter To The Editor: How Are Mesa & Phoenix Different From New York City?

Three words are all-too-frequently missing in the public record here in Mesa:
Equitable and Inclusive and Diversity
In a letter to The New York Times responding to an article about dwindling opportunities for low-skilled workers, Sam Marks, LISC NYC executive director, makes the case for baking equity and inclusion into economic development incentives and policies. By doing so, New York and others cities can support affordable housing and businesses that offer middle-skill jobs, and ensure that all residents benefit, regardless of their background.
The letter below was originally published on The New York Times:Jobs, Equity and Inclusion
A Letter to the NYT: Inclusive Incentives Build Inclusive Cities
2.25.2019 - In the NewsCommunity Wise Blog
To the Editor:
“Opportunity in Cities Falls to the Educated” (The Upshot, Jan. 12) highlights the threat of dwindling low-skill jobs coupled with rising rents and cost of living.
As manufacturing has diminished, quality jobs (offering a living wage along with training and opportunities for advancement) are increasingly scarce . . .
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Blogger Note: Does everyone feel welcome here in Mesa?
The same goes for Innovation Districts:
Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive 
18 January 2018
Full-House Today @ Elliot/Nesbitt Theater/Mesa Arts Center: Brookings Institution > Innovation Districts
There was a very good buzz rising in the reception area when your MesaZona arrived just before 09:00 seeing quite a few familiar faces in the crowd who were mixing-and-mingling really good arriving beforehand to enjoy a nice spread of a continental breakfast, beverages and juices and hot food in chafing dishes when the doors opened for early birds at 08:00.\Mesa Channel 11 was on-site with a bank of three cameras in the third row front Orchestra. The upper balconies on both sides were filled . . . Everyone hungry to hear
Link > MesaZona
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12 Principles guiding innovation districts
Districts are supercharged by a diversity of institutions, companies, and start-ups. The strength of innovation districts comes, in part, from this eclectic mix. Districts that are largely comprised of large institutions often lack the accelerated innovative growth that small, nimble firms provide. And districts characterized by a density of start-ups have fewer opportunities for well-funded partnerships and alliances. The “magic in the mix” comes from aligning incentives between these and other public, private, academic, and civic institutions.
Embed the values of diversity and inclusion in all visions, goals, and strategies. Innovation districts not only promote new technologies, they grow a range of new firms and new jobs with living wages. At a time of rising social inequality, innovation districts must become an avenue to economic opportunity for city residents—particularly for those in nearby neighborhoods that struggle with poverty and disinvestment. But growth alone is not enough. Only through intentional training, hiring, business development, and placemaking efforts can districts cultivate new local talent, encourage more diverse ownership structures, and help address poverty and disinvestment in surrounding communities.
Get ahead of affordability issues. Successful districts can, over time, drive up market pressures, impacting the ability of start-ups, maturing firms, and neighboring residents to remain in these areas. Smart districts respond early, getting ahead of the curve through a range of policy moves and strategic projects that preserve affordability and the diversity it engenders
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