Take you live now for coverage sponsored by the american conservative. Making a case what they call traditional urbanism in developing cities and towns. One coverage here now cspan. Basedter right think tank here in town. Moment to thank hillsdale college, kirby center us ouse thisring great facility. Also beingis broadcast on cspan. I want to thank them for being those wholl and thank are joining us on cspan for this discussion. To also our audience how the usual reminder to silence phones. L although we do encourage live you so incline. Urbanism. Ive i also hope youll take a moment get home later or now, to follow both the american conservative and the R Street Institute can findfacebook, you our website. In addition the new urbanism the american conservative has their own account. I like to thank our donors and sponsors who made this event and urbanismnuing new program possible. Wilber, bradshaw night and dominique watkins. Thank you for your support of urbanismt and new program. I like to acknowledge our boardan conservative howard. N the audience, i i believe i saw Scott Mcconnell here as well. Moment toe to take a thank the people who are less theble both of the staff of r street newt and the american conservative. Before we get started with the the newit background on Urbanism Initiative of the american conservative. Three years ago, about this time in 2014, the american conservative does what it does best. Which is to challenge status quo thinking among conservatives and policy area and challenge. Continuing same course whats good for the country, community and ordinary citizens. Founded ingazine was 2002 for those of you who dont becoming ofue was the iraq war and the resources wasted on that and intervention abroad. At that time, washington would to regret that. The american conservatives only voice on the right cautioning that intervention. Fast forward to 2014, many of editors and contributors realize theres a similar issue. C which the current approach pursued by our government that levels, state, local and federal and well be hearing from a local Government Official to a long term wea weakening of politics. Thats the state of our built environment in the quality in places which we live, work and raise our children is the one were here to talk about today. To put this in some larger context, i think since the end ii, theres been clearal dramatic reshaping of just in theent not big cities but smaller town and suburban neighborhoods. Much of this change was set in war by there the mass produced automobile. But after greatest generation returned home to give birth to the large baby boomer generation that set off a great demand. Governmenteral increasing role by shaping this environment by create incentives, onurbia and culdesac style neighborhood format that many generations and many of us grown up in. With large shopping malls and shopping parks surrounded by lots. Of parking which aim to replace these areas. N commercial icon,reat republican Dwight Eisenhower created the interstate highway system. Known as the really officially National System of interstate and defense highway. Once and for all made the car, i preferred mode of transportation not only between but reshapedareas them as well. Lot of people have these big long commute. As a result, destroying lot of these long established neighborhoods. And at the same time, federal urban Renewal Program encouraged country toss the engage in misguided called creating these big housing projects where people in were isolated and faced rise in crime and some downtown cities neverrge recovererecovered from that brul surgery that removed much of our cultural heritage. Along the way, i think there were dissenters from this project. Which was largely bipartisan among those in power. Perhaps most prominent certainly audience 1960s jacob. Ane stopped lowerly manhattan expressway project the plowing right through dense urban neighborhoods there. She and other the werent able save the great masterpiece in midtown manhattan. Wreckingion, which a ball in 1964. Theres now an effort among some to rebuildes to try great space. Please check out those articles online. The next step in this movement is later on in the 1980s after initial reactions. Some people began to engage not reactions tost and what was happening to the landscape of our cities and create a work to positive kind of agenda to involve local government, developersl estate in a way that could rediscover older ways of building for places for people to live and work. That Movement Congress of the new urbanism. Was celebrated 25 years of success both in doing new development and restoring an old urban fabric that creates kind of places many people want to live. Suburbs or older neighborhoods. New urban whos been working now for three years on this project, have more left to Center Politics generally happy to have conservative who supportive more humane environment. Here we are today three years into this. Urbanismall new initiative. This project i think american outlet onve is only the right to take these issues. In the past three years, we published in our print Magazine Online on our issues. We pursued two strand of inquiries ways looking at the inquiries. I see these two strands first, cultural one. How people imagine the built environment. It. re placed within how they can tap into sort of these great tradition of design. Ture and urban at least before world war ii. Made our city, towns and suburbs to live. Ces as conservatives were called here to try to work out how families can thrive in urban perhaps with one family car and living with less amenities. We make this aan choice. Le secondly, second strand i think well address today beyond how wecultural strand of reshape the conversation is, the policy. I think at least couple of people on the first panel focus area. T that involves creating a Regulatory Environment and promoting infrastructure that walkable urbanism. Infrastructure now really excludes that possibility even as a choice for folks. Removing it involved regulations like strict parking minimums. Were removing things that allow so peopledevelopment can live above the store as theyve done for centuries or 60 years. St 50 which essentially made that illegal in other places. Also means building more housing period. Urban housing in metro areas which many family live in these places are priced out of especially in expensive markets like San Francisco, washington and boston and new york. Hopefully that creates a kind of frame work to start our with our initial panel. I want to introduce our we get started. Myst panelist initially to left is jason segty who is the of Planning Urban Development and assistant to mayor city of akron. He previously was director of akron metropolitan area study. Rtation over seeing all the transportation funds in greater akron. Been a long hes time reader of tac. Which im happy to hear that we reader in akron. Second panelist to the left is gracie olmsted. The former colleague of mine at the american conservative. Now the associate managing federalist. E weekly news letter for women. Besidesread her writing in the federalist and american conservative. And catholictoday real life and gracie will talk about howy in part all these lessons apply also to towns and rural areas lessons aree lesson continuum. Finally, unfortunately michael had a family emergency and had to cancel. Formerpy to say my colleague Jonathan Coppage represents our r street. This event. Is visiting senior fella with the R Street Institute will be stepping in an r street, john researches urbanism in built environment and previously, the americangue at conservative. Initially started this whole new Urbanism Initiative three years ago around this time today. To all our panelist for being here. With jason. Maybe giving us remarks. You herepy to have usause im like some of journalist and think tank types, they runs planning in akron, ohio. Its rust belt. I think can tell us whats going there out of ohio and give us a lesson for how we can actually in places like that. Take it away. Thank you so much for having me. Its great to be here in d. C. With all of you. I think when lewis were talking before, i was going to offer up startle of thoughts as we to frame the discussion. I think in a lot of our cities my part of then country, what were seeing in a lot of ways what i would call big. Nd of bigidea that these corporations, big government, big plans and projects, are us. G to save i think if you look at the trajectory of whats happened in a lot of our cities, particularly in the rust belt as lewis said, urban renewal was one of those big kind of topdown commanding control toategies that was supposed revitalize us. Fast forward, 40 or 50 years, that didnt happen. I think the next step in lot of i i calls what prosperity, theology of building stadiums convention centers. Not to say those things arent some cases we can probably all point to projects neverrobably should have been built. Silver the idea that bullet project is going to save your city. A conventionuild center, step two is question success. Step three is we dont necessarily have a plan to get from here to there. Particularly in ohio and michigan and other parts of my lately, ie country, think a lot of people have i would call predestination theology. We need to shrink. Only hope for us is to basically shut down our cities. A big fan of that approach. I think it is important to be the market and about some of our challenges. We have incredible assets in our the country. I always make the case in akron, city of 200,000. We have four Million People drive. A an hour i refuse to believe with good get. 01 ofplace, those people back in the city and start to increase the population. I think thats a matter how we go about doing those things. Just one of the other quick thought. The rubricat with of conservatism, lot of the discussion was stereotype. Conservatives were always pro and antiurban. Lot of people suburban and urban a sense ofraving community and sense of place. I think that goes back to what i saying about big versus small. I think theres a lot more Common Ground out there than a first think. Might i think some of the ideas maybe reconsideres can with cities would be in our part of the country, this is midwest andthe northeast, local government is extremely fragmented. It gets very difficult to have regional cooperation. Are goodhere government practices of sharing services, consolidating things. Thats something we have to explore. I remember i was part of projectble communities that the Obama Administration through hud and d. O. T. And epa on. We had a lot of Tea Party People those meetings saying we up acommunist and setting totalitarian regime in northeast ohio. I think within some of that coming up, there were real concerns about is the going to come in and term people where to live. To make cities competitive and have people want them. E and live in not prohibit people. Thats something thats different in our part of the coast. Than the here, a lot of real estate expensive. So in akron i can sell you a really 150,000. For ill sell you a lot for 200,000. That the400 of them city owns. Just some thought. With part ofosing it, thinking about the shared challenges and the shared partsunities in different of the country how to move forward. Ive had the distinct lesson ofliving in different parts the nation and several different thinkof may notes which i if you boots on the ground experience whats happening in communities. An in farmhouse and moved to alexandria condo on the third floor. The most neighborhoods in america. Spent some time in a world war era suburb and got to see the impacts that divide from the walkable nature of downtown had life ofof the community that suburb. Great blessing in a actorian fixer upper with front porch. Having a child, i think its someonezing how having small that you push around in a stroller changes your relationship with the streets makes it intimate and terrifying. One thing that jane jacob said in the American City birth, she thought what she was writing mainly to large cities. It was applicable to places where people didnt know each other. Where you interacted with strangers on a daily basis. Argue that is true of most places in america today. Smallunately, lot of towns and suburbs no longer have the sort of social fabric that leads them to feel that they have a community. They know the people they pass on a daily basis. Theres no longer of that at the grocery store. Whatgument would be that we see in her work is more applicable to more communities outside of the large city. We can fix some things via cultural and social means. However, theres a way in which we can build an environment that encourages people to spend time together. A storyads me to actually. My great grandfather and his a farm. Grew up on there were seven of them. They had a farm in which the field was right next to the watermelons. Theyr mel listen will field through the corn field everyday after school. Watermelon and bring back to the corn themed and eat it. To her and apologized and said, mother were sorry. Thosed to you and stole watermelons. She said why do you think we watermelons next to the corn field. Saying, a long way of we can foster serendipitous fellowship in the environment. Thats becoming increasingly important in current days and days to come. Thank you. I love that story. I have to steal it. Lewis for putting this together. This is really an extraordinary event and an extraordinary craft discussion. Having for the past few years working at this intersection urbanism and conservativism. I heard a lot of things. I heard that conservatives dont like cities. Want anything to do with cities. Thats not true. Donteard that cities like conservatives but they ast want conservatives just well as they disappeared. To understand and is just how many of us are in so places. And how for all the reputation get of being cultures of liberalism. Tenants ofal conservativism of an attitude towards preserving tradition of an attitude towards strengthening peoples agency. City. Are present in. Arty labels may come and go but conservatism is present. Builte have seen is a environment that was not planted many places. Rather was driven apart. Apart byny cities torn projects that snakes through intentionally, poor neighborhood, black neighborhoods in an ideal progress. Highways are good so more highways are better and highways in cities have to be just as highways outside of them. We saw lot of enthusiasm that lot of good architecture, lot of good urbanism. Cities in america, you see them starting to try and prepare. To put pieces back placesr and there are where its happening. One of the great sites of that detroit. Ty of as bad as its reputation gives you to believe. Thats gone through things no other city in america has. It has gone further down. In detroit, in all of that darkness and all of that trouble, there has been a spirit houseple who move into a that you can get for not even but 150 and fix it up. Next house. Up the you know, for not much money, parcel. Get a block, a over the years, they can work at fixing them and inviting neighbors and creating neighborhood where they are. The act of taking a place where no one lived and making it live again. Le to thats a great thing to see. In many places across the country. Many downtowns. To indianapolis, 30 ands ago, looked at itself said we are no place. We are a suburb that is as a metropolitan area. Downtown. N a it knew it needed a core. It knew that it needed a place and gaine to come their identity and come to know each other. In places you see places like im guessing lot of people in this room were the 1980sw york in and 1990s. Were made. The dystopia was for a more imaginable than the birthing, concentration of Economic Activity of art, vitalities that today. Nts new york city whats important to realize is were looking forward is just as the big planners who thought they were going to everything, could not their mistakes. So too lot of the ideas that we necessarily must not come to place. What will happen is that people will be citizens and activity will happen. We can either help that by encouraging the built be better and to community or make it work and make it harder. Ill just close by mentioning like akron. Places jason written theres strong problems. You need bring people in. In the places that have come revitalized like new york, like San Francisco, like seattle increasingly. Theres a supply problem. These places where people are gathering to conduct Economic Activity, social activity, art. It is so attractive that many are coming in but lose describedt and made it possible to build before that. There was a supply crisis in this country. Theres anything that conservatives should understand the supply side problem. Theres an opportunity for us to to take forceful leadership to say, where theres Economic Activity, people should be able to go. Where there are demand side we should invite people to come in. Great, thats a great to start us off. Some we can interact with of the what are some of the practical things being done jason, maybe you can tell us more about how directing this supply side problem . Withou able to compete washington and seattle and that . Like whats the kind of medium terms thea place like akron and rust belt . One of the luxuries place think wen has, i dont have to compete with well never compete on those terms. Think its north even necessarily that healthy to see it as a competition. Cities these historically had niche for why it is where it is. Citynking about the best that you can within that niche. Akron the challenges in that im confident we can overcome, over time and with applying some good practices, we dont have a lot of demand right now. But a lot of that is, we dont have a lot of demand for the have. That we akron was the Fastest Growing city in the United States and 1920. 10 we tripled in population. If you think about what was between 1910 an 1910 and 1920 and automobile. Built half the tire on planet earth in that decade. The decades following that. The typical house in akron is 1914, two story wooden frame house with a front porch. House in 1914,t 103 years, some of the neighborhoods where that house i