PRESS RELEASE October 14, 2011

Contact: Alaina Beverly abeverly@rabengroup.com 202-466-2543

CEOs for Cities Calls for Collaboration

Urban leaders share lessons and join forces to advance education, industry and jobs Chicago, IL From zombie races to local venture capital competitions to the mother-in-law test, CEOs for Cities 2011 Fall Meeting gave participants the chance to share their best ideas for community engagement, economic development, and long-term growth and sustainability with fellow urban leaders around the country. The second and final day of the conference focused on education and talent. Audience members, including foundation executives, venture capitalists, university leaders, mayors, and academics discussed what could be done together to help cities achieve their Talent Dividendthe economic returns that are correlated to per capita ratio of college graduates. Chris Kennedy, former president of Merchandise Mart Properties and member of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, talked about being born into a city-centric family. Lee Fisher and CEOs for Cities know that every city is a communal enterprise, he told the crowd. Kennedy emphasized the need for collaboration among political, business, and academic leadership. Perhaps the only perpetual job creation activity that a government can engage in is funding academic research institutions in higher education, he said. Our research institutions have an important role not just creating jobs, but in sparking entire industries. This theme was further developed by design guru Bruce Mau, one of the founders of Massive Change Network, who noted that a majority of recently-polled CEOs reported that the top challenge that they faced was creativity. Practically everything you can think of will be done differently in the future, Mau told the audience, adding that this creates a tremendous opportunity for higher education institutions. When you attach purpose to education, its an accelerator, he said. I would think about organizing entire universities around great challenges that we face. In closing remarks, Harvard Professor and Triumph of the City author Ed Glaeser examined the characteristics of successful American cities that have enabled them to continue to thrive despite significant transitions. Knowledge is more important than space, he told the audience, citing the trading floors of Wall Street as an example. We get smart by being around smart people, and people in cities take advantage of this. This is what cities do. --more--

Glaeser warned against housing, transportation, and community development policies that contribute to suburban sprawl and detract from vibrant urban centers. The economists perspective places emphasis in giving people options, he said. Cities do not need handouts or favors, but they do need a level playing field. The conference closed with a series of city tours that highlighted areas of urban innovation in Chicago, from urban agriculture to the economic revitalization of a historic Chicago neighborhood. CEOs for Cities new president and CEO Lee Fisher called the fall meeting a tremendous success. We had an extraordinary line-up of creative leaders here, he said. I think that we all learned from each other, and I hope that attendees will bring these ideas back to their own cities. ###
CEOs for Cities is a national network of urban leaders dedicated to building and sustaining the next generation of great American cities. Learn more at www.ceosforcities.org.