Carol Coletta, Smart City public radio talk show host, interviewed Mark Muro, senior policy analyst with Brookings' Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy on the key elements of a competitive city. While Mark is an advocate of growth, he notes that while growth "builds capacity," it "must be yoked to quality." And that, he says, takes regional thinking about growth management.

He called the decline of first-ring suburbs "the policy blind spot" of American cities. The aging of these suburbs is making the urban game much more complex. But Mark believes the solutions to the problems there are found in the prescription that has worked so well to revitalize downtowns during the past two decades. We must address aging infrastructure, disinvestments, and the lack of amenities.

When asked what he would do first if he were mayor of a newly-consolidated government, Mark said he would form a high level education commission with the goal of delivering the best education system in the country. And he said, he would engage in thoughtful regional planning, without which nothing else much matters. (From "An Agenda for a Competitive City")

- Carol Coletta' s Smart City is a weekly, hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life. (http://www.colettaandcompany.com, http://www.smartcityradio.com/smartcityradio/)

 

 

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