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Small Cities Conference in Worcester
The study of the future of small cities continues as a Worcester conference focuses on the future of small industrial cities in New England. Two of those cities are in the Merrimack Valley – Lowell and Lawrence. From the Associated Press via the Boston Globe:
The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston will host a conference focusing on the future of small industrial cities in New England. The forum will tackle the economic, fiscal, and political challenges and opportunities facing the region’s former industrial centers. Regional and national leaders have been invited to share practical examples of collaboration and leadership in the cities. Participants will explore why the cities are important to the New England economy, how they should be positioned to attract capital, and how the business community can support revitalization efforts. Four panels will feature civic leaders from across the region, including the cities of Hartford, Fitchburg, Lawrence, Lowell, Springfield, and Worcester. The conference is scheduled for Wednesday [July 13] at Clark University in Worcester.
I saw this notice and checked out the conference page of the Boston Fed’s website. There are some fantastic speakers and there is no fee to attend – unfortunately, there are no more spaces available. If any of our readers attend, we’d welcome an emailed synopsis of what is said. Just send it to DickHoweJr[at]gmail.com and I’ll post it for you
I’m going to the Smaller Cities conference tomorrow and will file a report. We’ll have a few people from UMass Lowell at the gathering at Clark University.
Clark U. offers us an extraordinary model for how a university can engage in neighborhood revitalization through a focus on affordable housing in its immediate neighborhood, small business stimulation, and a remarkable commitment to an alternative high school. Clark offers virtually free tuition to neighborhood kids who go through the charter HS they work with and then want to go to Clark. UML ought to announce the same effort in the Acre neighborhood. All neighborhoods kids who graduate LHS with a 3.0 and want to go to UML go free! And, UML, while it does great work buying/fixing properties in the Acre and downtown, should also take a look at how Clark has made it possible for many of its employees to afford to buy homes in the neighborhood around Clark. In my humble opinion there is even more for UML to do with a well defined effort to confront affordable housing issues and access to higher education in Lowell. Issues like these need to be worked on as aggressively as admitting more students from the suburbs, science research, and buying and building buildings. FYI if you do not know – I teach at UML.