Public-Private Partnerships

Partners’ board member Sam Williams, President of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, carried the banner for business leadership in helping to solve urban problems during remarks last month to the TEDxAtlanta conference. Calling for business leaders to fulfill roles as “urban statesmen,” Williams articulated a vision shared by Partners in which business leaders and elected officials can work together as members of a team to find creative and innovative solutions to urban problems. Service on Partners’ board is just one way in which Mr. Williams works daily to translate this vision into reality.

Entrepreneurial Livable Community Award

For the community’s entrepreneurial spirit in its transformation to become a model for sustainable development and prosperity today.

Entrepreneurial American Leadership Award

For his 21 years of visionary leadership and devotion to the social and economic wellbeing of Louisville, Kentucky.

Partners’ recent forum with the Hirshhorn Museum, “Building Livable Communities: Creating a Common Agenda,” served as a positive platform to re-announce a new and exciting agenda for architecture, design, and social experimentation: The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden’s Bubble Expansion and book store renovation. Attended by Congressional representatives, federal agencies, think tanks, cultural institutions, and community development leaders alike, Director of the Hirshhorn Museum Richard Koshalek discussed the museum’s upcoming plans.

The "Bubble,” as it is called for the short-term, is a joint venture of Koshalek and Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, a renowned New York-based design firm, to re-invent the Museum as an intentional classroom and illustrate intersections of public and private space. Additionally, the museum book store will undergo a transition from a common commercial entity to becoming integrated as a part of museum exhibition space, through a renovation and move to the basement of the building.

Perhaps this new agenda comes from the idea that we need to adapt spaces to peoples’ readily changing needs. Perhaps this comes from Richard Koshalek’s desire to make the Hirshhorn a world class modern art museum with a daring new exposition. Perhaps this comes from the need to blur public and private space by incorporating The "Bubble” as an almost space-less entity into a negative, or void, of the concrete mass building; and the book store as an experiment in museum exhibit space. Or perhaps this agenda just comes from a need to make the stolid flimsy, the serious fun, and the patron part of the exhibit. 

On August 18th, 2010, Partners President Robert McNulty and Partners Trustee and former Florida Secretary of State and Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood hosted a workshop for over 150 attendees of the annual Florida League of Cities conference in Hollywood, Florida. Entitled “Culture Builds Community,” the 3-hour session explored how in these hard times for local governments and public finance, communities can mobilize a team of new players to support cultural and heritage resources as key infrastructure for their citizens, quality of life, and their ability to attract new investment.

Workshop participants learned how to:

New York City is famously known for its fast-paced, move-it-or-lose-it way of life.   This attitude stems from the large number of young professionals crowding the streets; however life in some parts of the city is slowing down, if only just slightly.  New York Academy of Medicine is looking to create 2 age-friendly neighborhoods in New York City.   These pilot projects are the result of town hall meetings and focus groups involving thousands of older adults in the area.  The Academy listened to concerns people had with walking around their neighborhoods and crossing the street.  

Ideas for the neighborhoods’ development and amenities have not been finalized, but one would have businesses voluntarily place stickers in their windows signifying their “age-friendliness” while providing extra benches, adequate lighting and menus with large type.   The Academy and area businesses recognize these changes are important to attract a demographic with strong economic power.

Other street improvements would include increasing crosswalk timing signals to allow elderly more time to cross, more benches on the street and better gutter drainage at intersections.

The full article from the New York Times can be accessed here.

Abandoned properties are encountered with rising frequency in these difficult economic times. Most people simply see them as an eyesore or a threat to security. However, there are some organizations, such as Boston Street Lab and Chashama, which have found this situation to be an opportunity to get a little creative.  

On a recent visit to Denver, Linda Severson was surprised to find herself ignoring the city’s famed scenery to examine one of Denver’s lesser known wonders: its parking meters.

Denver is one of a number of U.S. cities that has installed brightly colored, repurposed parking meters designed to take donations to services for the city’s homeless.  Intrigued by these “donation stations,” Severson took the idea back to her role as human services coordinator for the Johnson County Council of Governments, in Eastern Iowa.

Her timing was apt.  Iowa City, the county seat, was then in the process of revising their panhandling ordinance, which would increase the restrictions on where panhandling could take place in the downtown area.  It seemed like the perfect time to offer what city officials have now deemed an “alternative” to panhandling. 

As many traditional economic drivers leave our cities, institutions like libraries, colleges, and arts organizations are now the key to supporting vibrant communities.  Given the right leadership and resources, these “anchor” institutions can act as fulcrums of change for leveraging stronger development agendas. 

In order to achieve this goal, institutional leaders across the country are seeking guidance on how to use their own missions to improve their communities.  A new report, released by CEOs for Cities and Living Cities, responds to this call for direction.  How to Behave Like an Anchor Institution presents six case studies of institutions that have successfully become “community anchors, developers and forces of change for their neighborhoods.”

Read more about the project and download the full report by clicking here. 
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Click here to learn more about Partners’ related program, Institutions as Fulcrums of Change, which seeks to initiate changes in the philosophy and programming of community institutions to help them strengthen their communities.

Jackson, MS

A former shopping mall that has been converted into a comprehensive, multidisciplinary health care complex.

Mecklenburg County, NC

A live information service that provides details about local services in Mecklenburg County.

St. Paul, MN

A development bank and vehicle to fund the revitalization of the Lowertown area in downtown St. Paul.

Louisville, KY

A partnership between United Parcel Service and local universities to provide financial aid to college students in exchange for specified work hours.

Memphis, TN

A museum which educates the public on the Civil Rights Movement and preserves the historic location of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination.

El Paso, TX

A central entertainment hub and source of pride for the El Paso community.