By Al Litman
Last month I wrote about what makes a small community successful.
Mayor Al Litman
I want to continue this conversation. But before I do, I want to relate an on-line thread about what some people want, and others don’t. I hear constantly, “no more growth.”
I also hear the opposite such as we need department stores, markets, large box stores and more. It’s obvious that we can’t please everyone, but we can learn from others; both from their mistakes, and their successes.
Every successful community has its own strengths and weaknesses, but they all share some common characteristics. It’s clear, for instance, that successful communities involve a broad cross-section of residents in determining and planning for the future.
They also capitalize on their distinctive assets, rather than relying on government regulations. In reviewing successful communities I found that there were common elements among them. Not all communities have every characteristic, but at least three or more of the following: A vision for the future.
We have that.
An inventory of assets. We need to do this. The ability to pick and choose among development projects. The cooperation of neighbors for mutual benefit. Attention to community aesthetics. I talked about a vision. Ours is coming along as planned.
Next, we need inventory, our community assets: natural, architectural, human, educational, economic, recreational, scenic, and more. Successful communities, then, build their plans, whether a land use plan, a tourism plan or an economic development plan around the enhancement of their existing assets.
Twenty-first century economic development focuses on what a community has, rather than what it doesn’t have. Too many communities spend all their time and money on business recruitment. They build an industrial park, and then try to attract a plant, or factory, or distribution center to move there.
So far Mesquite has been fortunate to attract several large companies, but our economy could change, and not for the better. Hopefully we won’t make mistakes in thinking that our economic development is about that one big industry.
We don’t have the economic woes of many small cities, and that’s why we need to think small in a big way. We need to build on what we already have. Interestingly, both Mesquite Gaming, and The Eureka are now going in that direction by making large investments in their properties that will take them into the future growth of Mesquite.
They are shaping their plans around existing assets. We, as a city, must do the same. We need to grow what is successful before we venture out into the unknown.
In the coming months, I’ll be writing more about this subject. We already have an excellent start by setting a vision for Mesquite. We just need to not lose our direction as we pursue this vision.
Al Litman is mayor of the city of Mesquite.
