Originally published on AL.com
“Birmingham, remember who you are.”
This charge from Mayor William Bell followed a recent violent crime spree that dampened the national recognition that the city had garnered over the past few weeks. The mayor intended to evoke a civic pride that would combat the violence.
But, who are we?
Birmingham became the “Magic City” during the Reconstruction Era. We forged the nation’s iron and steel but never slowed down enough to forge an identity. The city was then rocked by the Great Depression, and briefly resuscitated by the industrial demands of World War II.
The post-WWII era (1945-1970) in Birmingham was headlined by its role in the Civil Rights Movement, a role that has defined Birmingham nationally and has anchored perceptions internally.
While nearby Atlanta – then the same size in population as Birmingham – branded itself as “The City too Busy to Hate,” Birmingham seemingly always made time to hate. This ugly period in the city’s history bred distrust of local officials and fellow community members and further fueled the ongoing pattern of suburban flight.
But there is an inspiring inverse of Birmingham’s prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement. Instead of remembering Birmingham as a 1960s battleground, we should celebrate and build on Birmingham as a birthplace of human equality. The city has already proved it can leverage its past with its present success by being named an “All America City” in June.
Now, how do we translate our past and our civic desires into a vision? Some say it will take political leadership, as the Birmingham News called for in its yearlong “Birmingham at a Crossroads” series in 2007. With local elections coming up soon, many may opt to wait for public officials to carve out a path forward.
I contend that a vision takes no more than local understanding, creativity, and support. It does not take a long-winded document, an inspiring speech, or a historic campaign. It takes a public that is willing to sit down, discuss their ideas and feelings together, and craft a vision that can be handed over to leaders to follow.
Birmingham’s Problems Are Not Unique
The issue with relying on political candidates for a vision is that they typically focus on Birmingham’s problems, which are shared with every other major urban city.
“Fighting crime, bringing economic development, supporting public transportation, improving public education” – anyone with a voice and a microphone can call for these in any city. I would hope that every Birmingham public official seeks them already.
The issue with concentrating on urban ills is that completely curing them is impossible. A city can never be too safe, too prosperous, too accessible, or too smart. A utopia is not a constructive vision.
The standard operating procedure for Birmingham voters is unhealthy skepticism, due in part to a history of corrupt and ineffective leaders. The standard quo of following political leaders has obviously not worked.
So, instead of reenacting the disappointment of watching overwhelmed public officials fall short, the city must set its own destiny.
Assets Should Define, Drive Birmingham
The vision of Birmingham cannot resemble a generic business plan, because then other cities with greater resources could carry it out themselves. It must draw from what Birmingham offers that no other city can claim.
I will begin the conversation with what I think Birmingham can capitalize on, spanning from its physical to cultural characteristics:
- Products
Birmingham can also build off the state’s rural traditions by charging ahead with urban agriculture. The city already has the Jones Valley Teaching Farm and should look into similarly transforming vacant land into food-producing property that combats its food deserts.
- People
The Birmingham metro donates its money to charities and time to civic organizations much more than the national average. The immense social capital created by the region’s religious institutions also contributes, though more attention should be paid to bridging social circles instead of strengthening existing bonds.
- Places
From Vision to Action
From a vision, a city can form supportive yet realistic goals. Effective strategies assure the accomplishment of these goals. Finally, tactics are the action steps that fall under strategies.
This type of framework provides a mindset for city employees and residents to work towards, instead of working against Birmingham’s myriad of problems. (I am certainly not advocating for city hall to ignore problems.)
By following a vision, the city could attribute each success to creating a greater Birmingham instead of creating a less-bad Birmingham. It also would provide a proactive guiding system for political decisions instead of a reactionary system of addressing problems and opportunities as they arise.
Figuring out who we are as a city will push Birmingham into the future while building on the past, rather than continuing to dwell on it. The end product will be a city with the confidence and coordination to market itself externally and motivate itself internally.
It’s a step-by-step approach, instead of a typically unsuccessful silver-bullet approach. One block at a time. One neighborhood at a time. One district at a time. The city will benefit each and every time
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