I was asked by a journal to write about the ingredients for success in a city. A laundry list of things that make a city great to live in - good jobs, great infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, schools and colleges, innovative labs, design, the arts - is the usual way to respond to this question. But the more I read about urban development and the more I observe about what works, what strikes me is this. The most important ingredient to the success of any city is the feeling among its residents that this is my city and I should do something to make it a better place. Around the world, the cities that have more of such people, among both leaders and ordinary citizens, are doing well. The ones that seem to rely instead on institutions and standard processes in government and industry tend to simply plod along, and succeed or fail according to the times. It will be harder to make Bangalore succeed, and much easier to make Namma Bengaluru thrive. The citizens and the companies that call the city home are the only ones who can make this distinction happen.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Apr 2014 12:40:39 +0000
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