By Brett Rosenberg
November 21, 2005

At the Brownfields 2005 Conference in Denver, Conference President Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill introduced Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, who spoke with pride of his city’s “brownfield showcase.” Brownfields are real property with actual or perceived environmental contamination that may complicate redevelopment, reuse or expansion. Denver has been successful at redeveloping several of its brownfield sites, including the former portions of the 4,700 acre Stapleton International Airport, partially through investing over $588 million in infrastructure upgrades that have helped renew interest in the city’s urban core.

Among Denver’s other brownfield redevelopment triumphs, Hickenlooper and 30 other regional mayors collaborated to expand the area’s light rail system. The expansion has catalyzed transit-oriented development among former industrial areas and eased regional sprawl through redeveloping several former brownfield sites. These and other redevelopment efforts are part of what Hickenlooper referred to as the community’s clear vision of “the value of sustainability and collaboration.”

Hickenlooper introduced Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class and The Flight of the Creative Class. Florida, who spoke at the Conference of Mayors 72nd Annual Meeting in Chicago last June, spoke vividly about evidence of global demographic and technological shifts that could hurt American cities unless they act immediately to sharpen their competitive edges.

Florida discussed countries in much of Europe, as well as Australia, New Zealand and others that have become international magnets for practitioners of highly innovative and technological industries such as biotechnology. China and India are refocusing their economies and social resources to retain and attract talent, emerging as global powerhouses at a scale America has never before competed with. These countries and their economic and social transformations are draining the pool of creative, talented and technologically savvy individuals who have historically been drawn to the United States. Meanwhile, according to Florida, domestic policies often discourage innovation in American cities. Furthermore, fewer immigrants are bringing their creative expertise to the U.S. than ever before.

Citing cities as the cornerstones of our economy and competitiveness, Florida noted the “three T’s” of a creative and competitive community: technology, talent and tolerance. Further noting that place and community have replaced the corporation as the dominant form of social organization in our time, Florida expressed how important it is for American cities to open up to the types of innovation that will allow additional economic and intellectual development while maintaining a high quality of life for all citizens along with policies that encourage high quality education and adequate affordable housing, among other things.

In attempting to debunk some of his critics’ claims, Florida proposed that there is more to making a city attractive to the so-called creative class than certain window dressings. He stated, “It’s not just coffee shops, Internet cafes and hiking trails. We must link the further development of human capabilities” to make American cities more competitive with emerging global enterprises.

With regard to abandoned, idle and contaminated property, Florida said that, “Brownfields are the most important sites to rebuild because evidence suggests that human density promotes creativity in bigger, more robust ways.”