Local officials from across the country convened at the Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C., as part of NLC?s new CityFutures Program.  The program brings together the work of NLC?s Advisory Council and four panels of city officials that previously made up the Municipalities in Transition Program.

Advisory Council Chair Steve Burkholder, mayor of Lakewood, Colo., addressed the groups at the inaugural CityFutures Luncheon and noted that merging the Advisory Council?s and panels? work recognizes their shared purposes and objectives, including to help municipal officials address emerging trends and challenges, to foster and shape public debate, and to help shape NLC activities and programs.

Plans for the CityFutures Program in 2005 include a joint meeting of the five groups, along with a variety of other NLC committees, around the topic of economic vitality in Denver, Colorado from June 16-18.  Burkholder commented, ?There isn?t a more important issue for all of our cities than economic vitality and I?m excited that you?re all coming to the Denver region to take on this issue.?

Community and Regional Development Panel

In anticipation of the June meeting in Denver, members of the CityFutures Panel on Community and Regional Development discussed the topic of economic vitality.  Panel discussions focused on aspects such as globalization, the knowledge economy, regional economies, and workforce development.

?Local economic vitality and quality of life go hand-in-hand.  Communities thrive when their citizens are educated, their residents are employed, and they can attract investment for economic development,? noted Panel Chair, Walt Skowron, councilmember, Loveland, Colo. 

The panel also participated in a discussion with Chris Nelson, professor and director of urban affairs and planning at Virginia Tech, on patterns of future development and growth.  Nelson noted that due to growth and natural aging of construction and infrastructure, much development will need to occur in the next 30 years.

Equity and Opportunity Panel

Members of the CityFutures Panel on Equity and Opportunity engaged in a discussion about how growing disparities affect a city?s economic vitality.  Panel members identified the characteristics of a vital economy, the costs and benefits of spending public resources to address inequalities, and the barriers to local efforts to reduce inequalities.

The panel expressed its commitment to support NLC?s First Vice President James Hunt?s 2006 president?s agenda on ?inclusive communities.?

Panel members also reviewed NLC?s case study research on equity agendas in cities and towns across America.  Panel Chair John Street, mayor of Philadelphia, Pa., stated,?If we offer one good strategy that is working in another city the research will be extremely valuable to my colleagues in cities.?

Public Finance Panel

Members of the CityFutures Panel on Public Finance discussed plans for two pieces of work in 2005.  The Panel is revising its original report, Toward a System of Public Finance for the 21st Century, to address current debates about tax reform. 

Panel Chair Michael Coleman, mayor of Columbus, Ohio, stressed that ?the new report seeks to provide an intergovernmental perspective to the key issues, principles, and questions that need to be addressed in any attempt to reform the tax system.?

Members of the panel also brainstormed ideas for training sessions and materials on the basics of public finance.

Democratic Governance Panel

Members of the CityFutures Panel on Democratic Governance addressed the panel?s future work on civic engagement, civic participation and community involvement.  The panel is planning the release of a new ?democratic governance? guidebook for the 2005 Congress of Cities in Charlotte.

Terry Amsler, director of the Collaborative Governance Initiative of the California League of Cities Institute for Local Government, shared information about current and future opportunities for advancing the democratic governance agenda, particularly working with state municipal leagues.

2005 Vice-Chair Bev Perry, Brea, Calif., City Clerk, said, ?The work of the panel is vitally important in strengthening local officials? abilities to effectively include residents in inclusive, two-way deliberations and dialogue involving decision-makers and the public.?

Details: For more information on the CityFutures Program, contact NLC at 202-626-3030.

Chris Hoene, Christiana Brennan, Gwen Wright and Phyllis Furdell contributed to this story.

Richard Florida Speaks at CityFutures Luncheon

Richard Florida, noted author and professor at George Mason University, delivered the keynote address at the inaugural CityFutures Luncheon.  Florida outlined the three key elements of attracting a ?Creative Class? of workers for cities and regions ? technology, talent and tolerance ? themes drawn from his book, ?The Rise of the Creative Class.?

Florida cautioned, however, that the pursuit of the Creative Class has some negative effects.  These effects are the subject of his new book The Flight of the Creative Class and include rising income inequality and an affordable housing crisis.

Florida challenged public officials to help heal the divides that are being exacerbated by these effects, saying, ?Our challenge is to spread the benefits of the Creative Class to those in other sectors of the economy.?