The Power of Creativity: Innovation in Public Planning

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Troy Chavez
September 6, 2024

City planning has been around forever. From Egypt to Rome to Constantinople to now, where cities blossom like spring flowers in full bloom. Urbanization is not going anywhere, per se, but it is evolving. We are seeing mixtures of green spaces, art districts, small and batched together research centers, etc. This is not because suddenly more creative minds found themselves in city planning departments, it is because they need to be.

We only need to look at cities where populations dwindled and dwarfed from their previously abundant populaces. Detroit, Michigan, is a stellar and sad example of this dynamic. Detroit was once a powerhouse in industrial and economic development in the mid-1900s. But it slowly decayed when developers sought monoliths and giants, instead of undergirded growth and proliferation. The giant(s) were the automobile industry and Henry Ford. Manufacturing boomed in Detroit during the first portions of the 21^st century and drove rapid growth, nation-wide. This blossoming of industry, wealth and employment attracted Black Americans and poor Whites from the south. Whom would later be left to foot the bill for Detroit’s poor decision-making and public planning.

The problems with Detroit wear shifting faces and speak myriad tongues. But when The Great Migration brought droves of Black Americans, racial tensions surrounding housing and employment spurred backlash from White communities. Racists schemas and discriminatory housing practices thwarted Black and minority Americans from experiencing the dream we hold so near and dear—for ‘all.’

Outside of housing, the United Auto Workers Union—led mostly by White industrial workers—“ignored or even encouraged discriminatory hiring practices,” according to Urban Utopias, a blog focusing on urban development Detroit: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of the Motor City – Urban Utopias. Moreover, what finally doused Detroit in a culmination of financial flames, was its reliance on one shrinking industry, exacerbating racial tensions, corrupt and inept leadership and the parading of freeways over public transit. Detroit’s tax base dissolved, poverty ran astray and its infrastructure decayed rapidly.

The moral of the story is that a city breathes in and out like a person. It is more than an amalgamation of concrete buildings and hubs for commerce. We must view a city or region as something that will eventually grow. We must attach long-term sustainability mindsets to public planning goals.

Detroit is far from the only example. Similar instances occurred in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and Gary, Indiana whereby the steel industry led their cities to growth then stagnation and eventually, decay. The future of urban—and even rural development—lies in combination zoning and creative planning. Additionally, a more involved populace is needed to secure a vision of a city they reside in. It quite literally “takes a village” to construct a sustainable future.

Creative planning, and/or “creative placemaking” is a “new way of engaging creative people and activities to address social and economic issues in communities,” according to the American Planning Association Creative Placemaking (planning.org). It convalesces art communities and allows for creative conceptions and machinations.

Since we have established the community as an organic being, it must also be dressed like one. Through creative design, residents get to add their own flair and unique aesthetics to their community. A community is a mirror from which we view every morning. What do we want to see when our reflection comes into shape? Lastly, while “the creative placemaking process results in changes to physical spaces, it is also an opportunity to build relationships between diverse partners and to build positive change.”

I live in Winston-Salem, NC a city large enough for a few skyscrapers, but small enough it’s not inundated with daily traffic, sirens, horns and swarms of people like Los Angeles or New York City. There are of course still the sounds any city makes and it’s the fourth largest city in North Carolina.

When reading through the local paper, The Winston-Salem Journal, I found a story that caught my eye Innovative approach to affordable housing pitched in W-S (journalnow.com). There is a housing development where AIDS patients were housed in five transitional housing units, which a nonprofit seeks to convert into a co-op style complex. The residents are their own landlords and operate similarly to a homeowner’s association. There is currently a lien on the property, but the city is mulling over a loan forgiveness of $156,869 so the project can commence.

Here is the letter to the editor that prompted me to delve deeper into the subject of creative planning (published in the Winston-Salem Journal on August 20, 2024) Tuesday’s letters: Many great American patriots have been childless (journalnow.com):

The co-op scheme being developed in this city is indicative of the necessity for creative planning. And the dialogue surrounding this is copacetic and, oddly, constructive. I say “oddly” because government and politics are so contentious; solutions rarely come without combustible arguments.

There are always things to improve in this city, like homelessness and crime and public transportation, but the discussion taking place in our city should be celebrated.

Moreover, I hope for the lien to be removed and for the co-op to commence. I believe this experiment of self-governance is novel and similar to an HOA. Or a commune of sorts.

Localizing property control to the source allows for generational growth and stability. Affordable housing can’t be fixed via top-dollar apartments and price-gouging single-family rental homes. We must reengineer housing and look outside our current model of landownership and property development.

Bottom line: We need more creativity and innovation when it comes to public planning and must begin building a future resembling modern time with a historical and nostalgic flair.

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 Author: Troy Chavez, M.P.A. is a PhD candidate at Liberty University with a masters in public administration and works in government doing community relations. He can be reached at [email protected].

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