As shoppers increasingly look to virtual shopping platforms how do mainstreets remain or regain relevance?

In large part, it's a technology issue and also an issue of generational sensibilities. Boomers are increasingly online. Millenials have always been online. Brick and mortar retailers work to grab their attention in ways that allow them to prosper and hope they won't have to cyclically spend big bucks resetting themselves to keep up.

This week on The City Voice Podcast my conversation is with City of West Palm Beach Director of Economic Development Chris Roog. SPOILER ALERT: We don't solve all these challenges. However, we do explore a creative new effort called 12x12 (12 for 12). The idea was awarded financial support by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

It's a competition for fledgling new businesses that have a great idea and looking for a way to get it off the ground. So if you have had a great idea, product, service...or whatever this podcast is for you.

SHOW LINKS

WHAT IS  12x12

I have a great service, product or whatever! How do I apply???

Thanks for listening to the City Voice Podcast! Don't forget to click to subscribe. It's Free!!

I am very much about connection and connectivity. You may already know that on the City Voice Podcast I frequently talk about urban planning and transportation issues. However, connection and connectivity comes in many forms. One of those forms is through social media.

One of the great mysteries of my "social media life" has been Linkedin. The conversation in my head and with many people I have spoken to goes something like this.

Yes, I have a Linkedin profile...now what?

A couple of years ago I got know Debbie Wemyss. Debbie is a Linkedin expert. Her company is DW Consulting Solutions, LLC. She helps large corporate clients, small businesses, and entrepreneurs. 

Social Media is another way for us all to connect. Hopefully, this episode helps cracks the door open a little wider regarding the Linkedin platform. Connection allows us all to have an opportunity to create value for one another. Hopefully, that makes the world a little better place.

Show Links:

 Call +1 561-444-2265 or email [email protected]

http://dwconsultingsolutions.com/

Sign up for Debbie's Linkedin Newsletter (I recommend it)

Across the United States of America, there are predominately African American Communities that experience higher rates of violence, unemployment, single-parent families, school dropout, and because of those things and more… there is a hope deficit for many.

The most glaring example of that in our nation is with young African American men.

Also happening across America, all be it more recently, is an increasing tendency to look to Mayors for solutions and reliable partnerships. The reasons for that include less partisan based legislative gridlock and a keener eye for the actual on the ground issues. Interests across the spectrum are increasingly seeing a bottom-up rather than a top-down approach as a more effective way forward.

Today on the City Voice Podcast the conversation is with Anthony Smith of Cities United.

Cities United is working directly in support of over 120  Mayors across America in an effort to more effectively turn the tide when it comes to violence, homicide, unemployment and lack of hope to name a few. Particularly for young African American men.

My guest Anthony Smith has his own story of hope.

My conversation on the City Voice Podcast is with Anthony Smith of Cities United.

SHOW LINKS:

Cities United

A streetscape reset or redesign… What is that and what does it mean?

Is it purely about the way a street looks? The aesthetics of the street?

Some may say when a streetscape redesign is presented that the pavement looks fine. Do we really need to go to all this trouble and expense?

Why not just freshen up the stripes and plant a few trees? That’ll do the trick…right?

I think the question gets to be asked when you look at a street and you think about its design what gets greater preference… People or Cars?

Is either of them…the preference? If you care about the dynamic of people and cars then a full redesign may very well be needed.

Today’s City Voice Podcast is a conversation with Allison Justice and Erik Ferguson. She is a Community Redevelopment Agency Sr. Project Manager for the West Palm Beach CRA and he is a Transportation Engineer for the City of West Palm Beach. They are two of the primary point people (along with a talented team that includes the firm of Dover, Kohl & Partners) working on this substantial redesign of Clematis St.

Clematis St. is the main street of West Palm Beaches Downtown.

This City Voice Podcast episode was recorded in the West Palm Beach CRA office located in the West Palm Beach City Hall.

Related Links

General Clematis St. Redesign information

Clematis Street Redesign Flyover video

Ever heard of an organization called Strong Towns before?

At first glance, you might hear the name and think it’s an organization that comes to town and promotes fitness.

Strong Towns is about Urban Planning, Place Making, and Transportation. However, it needs to be said that if you think that’s it… you are missing their bigger point.

First, let’s discuss what being strong is. In my estimation, in order to be strong, you must first have a certain baseline of health. You probably wouldn’t run a marathon or spend much time at CrossFit if you were sick or had ailments dragging you down.

The smart way to approach that would be to get healthy before intense training or running a marathon.

In my opinion, that’s what my guest Chuck Marohn (an engineer and urban planner with Strong Towns) seems to be saying. Let's get your town healthy. Rather than jump right into the high energy or in the context of your town huge project high expense project let's be incremental. Let’s think about what happens 5-10-15-50 years after the amazing project is done and deemed a success.  Let’s walk a couple blocks or maybe a mile every night and do some training before we commit to the marathon tomorrow.

Pretty much all metaphors are imperfect on some level and I’m sure my physical municipal metaphor falls into that category. I do what I can.

You might be asking yourself which towns according to Strong towns need to create that baseline of health in order to be a "Strong Town".

If I hear Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns correctly. He means your town. He means my town. He means most all towns.

As I hear it, he means we stopped doing what works a few decades ago and the way back to being a strong town is to stop doing what we’re doing now.

He doesn’t mean stop doing, stop improving, he means look at it this way.

Have a listen and form your own opinion.

Find Strong Towns here.

If you like what you hear and want to become a Strong Towns Member go here.

Don't forget to click on one of the subscribe buttons or to submit for the City Voice Podcast Newsletter below.

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The Grandview Public Market will Open Its Doors to the Public on Tuesday, February 20.

The repurposed 14,000 square foot warehouse, 14,000 square will provide dining and shopping

from local and national purveyors with 15 vendors and serve as a unique event space.

GPM is similar to NYC’s Chelsea Market and Krog Street Market in

Atlanta.

Owner, Chris Vila saw the need for a modern market hall – a gathering spot for locals and visitors – which simply did not exist

in Palm Beach County. While the concept of a communal market is not new, it’s the first of its kind in the area.

Chris’ wife and business partner Kristen Vila oversaw the interior design at GPM. “While it was essential that

each space has its own identity, it was equally important that the market feel cohesive as a whole. I wanted

GPM to have a sophisticated and playful feel within the industrial setting and that the overall vibe is inviting,

clean and bright,” says Kristen.

The 11 independent vendors are a mix of established local brands with loyal followings, including three concepts

from nationally recognized New York-based hospitality company, Three Kings Restaurant Group, comprised of

Top Chef alum Dale Talde, and his partners David Massoni and John Bush. The Three Kings will open Clare’s,

a premier chicken joint which will also fulfill the market’s bar needs providing beer, wine and craft cocktail service,

as well as The Corner, a Detroit-style pizza spot.

Additional vendors will include Celis Produce, a boutique farm-to-table grocer specializing in organic breakfast

bowls, smoothies, cold-pressed juices and organic produce; Olive Oil of the World, importers of specialty Italian

products; Grace’s Fine Foods, a full-service hormone-free butcher offering an array of heritage breed meats, as

well as daily fresh sausage and sandwiches; and Rabbit Coffee, serving cold brew coffee, espresso drinks, teas,

bagels and bialys every morning. Filling out the line-up of culinary brands are Crema, purveyors of natural rolled

ice cream; Poké Lab eatery, using premium sustainable, seasonal and natural ingredients in Hawaiian-inspired

poké and sushi-burritos; Zipitios, serving quick bites including tacos and pupusas; and Incubator, a rotating popup

showcasing local talent which will debut with Ramen Lab Eatery, a Japanese ramen laboratory. Quinn will

feature a curated selection of home goods and unique products.

Located within the GPM footprint, The Loading Dock and The Living Room – the first outdoor, the second

indoor – welcome guests to grab a seat, dine, imbibe, hang with friends, check e-mail with free high-speed Wi-

Fi, and meet and mingle. Both spots will double as unique event spaces, perfect for formal or informal

networkers, private parties, meetings, and luncheons.

In addition to the culinary and shopping offerings at GPM, Studios Etc., a unique and collection boutique fitness studios founded by local fitness enthusiast and business owner Jacquelyn Quesada. 

GPM will host weekly programming, with the focus on the community.

This will include live music on the weekends, game night, a farmer’s market with Lox Farms on

Wednesday evenings, wine tastings and movie nights.

GPM is located at 1401 Clare Avenue and will be open daily from 7:00 am to 10:30 pm Classes at Studios ETC.

will run daily between the hours of 6:00 AM and 7:30 PM. For more information,

visit www.grandviewpublic.com.

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No matter what your political views are, I think we are all frustrated with the ineffectiveness of the U.S. Congress and in many cases state legislatures.

Bruce Katz is the Centennial Scholar at the Brookings Institution. He focuses on the challenges and opportunities of global urbanization. He along with his co-author Jeremy Nowak has just released a new book titled The New Localism. 

The New Localism, among other things, is a look at the potential effectiveness of a bottom-up approach to infrastructure, economic dynamism, and the power of creating places you want to be in and come back to. It's a book that says it's about "power reimagined."

This isn't a blueprint or one size fits all approach. In fact, in many ways, Katz and Nowak make the case that a one size fits all approach to governance is part of the problem. This is more about harnessing the power of local public and private and having them work alongside each other in a sustainable ongoing manner. It's model with possibilities that tap into unseen local wealth in sustainable ways. This is a digestible understandable way forward toward getting things done from the bottom up.

My sense of the book is that it isn't about disempowering the federal government so much as it's about local government stepping up and filling the gap in this age of partisanship and long-standing structural limitations.

In many ways that become clear in our conversation, Katz is looking back toward a reimagined future. 

Below and besides this post are buttons for you to subscribe to The City Voice Podcast and to receive the City Voice Podcast newsletter.

SHOW LINKS:

Get the book here.

Today I took a ride to nowhere with a group of friends I have weekly coffee with.

My group of friends has become known locally as the Friday Morning Philosophers. We are philosophers because we say we are. Does that make it true?

Our trip to nowhere is not the truth except that I said it was. We took our trip on the new Brightline high-speed train. There actually is a destination.

In this episode of the City Voice podcast, I describe the high-speed train ride, talk about death by train and who if anyone is at fault, connectivity in multiple forms, and what is preferable a roadway or streets? Throughout this episode, I contemplate and poke fun at truth. Is it anything more than what we say it is?

Thanks for listening. Be sure to click on one of my  City Voice podcast subscription links. 

Subscribe to my newsletter below this post.

Send me an email with anything on your mind. [email protected]

 

My conversation is with West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio.

We discuss the issue of quiet zones for high-speed rail crossings in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County.

What's the hold up on the quiet zones? When will they be finished? What power do cities have to compel action? What does she think about them not being completed?

Next on the agenda, we discuss possible design changes to downtown West Palm Beach on Clematis St. There are several opportunities for input from local merchants and residents. (See Notes and Links Below for details) Possible changes are tree canopy, lighting, pedestrian crossings, cafe seating, sidewalks, and more. 

Finally, many of us have heard about the hateful and demeaning comments made by The President of The United States. His comments were heard by at least one sitting U.S. Senator and congressional staff. Mayor Muoio gives her thoughts.

Links and Notes  regarding Clematis St design input sessions

Local Merchants Tuesday, January 16 from 10:30 until 12:30 at the West Palm Beach City Hall.

All residents can give input on Saturday, January 20 from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm at the West Palm Beach Greenmarket.

Also, all residents can participate in and give their input at The West Palm Beach City Hall from 5:30 to 8:00 pm    

If you have ever been to downtown West Palm Beach you probably have been to or know about SubCulture Coffee.

The Coffee is excellent but there is something going on there that lives and breathes outside of your coffee cup.

The energy, vibe, community, whatever you want to call it. In my experience, it has a lot to do with Sean Scott.

Sean seems to have mastered coffee of Clematis St. Now he expanding the personal vibe to podcasting.  The Coffee Life is his new podcast. When you subscribe or tune in don't expect barista lessons although someday you might get some. Expect lifestyle, community, and Sean's journey toward an authentic way of being.

Here is a video from the Subculture website I think it gives you a snapshot of who Sean is what he is up to. 

After your done listening to the City Voice Podcast don't forget to subscribe to The Coffee Life podcast.