Teresa Córdova on Crain’s Chicago Business discusses how the city of Chicago is in a position to claim a new title: ‘City of Solutions.’
“”Chicago is such a great city, I love it,” is what I so often hear when I travel. I also hear comments about the crime, the corruption and the entrenched inequalities.”
“But “pride comes before a fall.” It is not that we were arrogant about our industrial past, but in Chicago, like other “rust belt” cities, factory after factory was closed — often without much notice. Left behind were high rates of unemployment, disinvested neighborhoods, contaminated sites, and a decimated manufacturing sector. Many say companies left because of the nearly singular focus on shareholder value. They just up and left, and with them the vibrancy of Chicago’s workforce and neighborhoods. Given these conditions, which amazingly persist to a large degree, we cannot be surprised by the attendant social problems.”
“There are visionaries among us who believe that we can become a global leader in the production of goods needed for the emerging economies around green manufacturing, renewable energy, local food production and more. There is enough research and economic analysis now to demonstrate both the urgency for this direction as well as the economic feasibility.”
From Crain’s Chicago Business (To go to the actual article, please click on this link.)
