Recently, I had the privilege to discuss with leaders in Dayton the seven strategies in GOPC’s new report, Equitably Developing America’s Smaller Legacy Cities.  At the invitation of Learn to Earn Dayton, I shared highlights from the report and then participate in a panel discussion with representatives from the city of Dayton and CityWide Development, a nonprofit development company that works on behalf of the city and County.  

We had a great conversation about trust and how city leaders can earn and maintain trust with residents, especially in light of the many decades of city actions that would lead residents—especially residents of color and residents living in poverty—to be skeptical or mistrust city government and other entities.

There are no easy answers, of course, but the discussion did highlight the importance of bring action to promises, and demonstrating consistent investment in neighborhoods.  As the other panelists discussed, the role of the city is, often, to prime the market and build the private sector’s confidence in the market. 

After the panel discussion I had the opportunity to get a sneak peek tour of the Dayton Arcade, an amazing downtown hub, which we profile in the Equitably Developing America’s Smaller Legacy Cities report. The Arcade co-locates a co-working space with the region’s Small Business Development Center, and an innovation and entrepreneurship center affiliated with the University of Dayton. 

The next phase of the building will open in 2022 and include restaurants, retail, and affordable and market rate housing.

The investments in the Arcade and incredible and are visibly impacting surrounding buildings and green space in positive ways.

We can’t wait to see how Dayton continue to utilize the Arcade as a tool to advance equitable redevelopment in the city!