One of the news stories that frequently gets overlooked is that highly experienced professionals in and around the capital city care about what happens to Trenton.
At the start of a new administration, the Trenton Downtowner offers the advice from two such individuals. The ideas serve as both food for thought and potential maps for that brighter future Mayor Eric Jackson envisions.
Some thoughts on a cultural policy for Trenton
By Helen Shannon
We’ve heard the reasons why Trenton should become an even better place to live, work and play. The city is the iconic site of the battle that turned around the American Revolution; its position as an industrial powerhouse is celebrated in its well-known slogan. The city’s attractive location as a hub between the business and leisure destinations of New York and Philadelphia is touted as well as its central location in the great metropolis of the Eastern Seaboard. Trenton still maintains an admirable stock of domestic and industrial architecture, much still in good condition; a variety of arts venues, both large and small, visual and performing, are active here. Trenton is both the state capital and the county seat.
Yet an increase in its stature as an arts, heritage, and tourism destination seems to elude the city. There are more than a few reasons why this might be so, but one that stands out is the lack of cultural policies on the city, county, and state levels that would guide cultural and economic development for Trenton and its surrounding region.
What is cultural policy? This is a term given to focused, directed public initiatives typically led by a governmental or quasi-governmental entity to guide the nurturance and growth of a combination of traditional arts, history, science, cultural, tourism, and leisure institutions, both not-for-profit and for-profit, as well as newer knowledge-based industries such as design, advertising, traditional and new media.
Cultural policies are led by governmental entities because an orchestrated economic development plan necessarily involves such issues as land-use regulations, zoning and building codes, restaurant codes, tax incentives, educational curricula, and other executive and legislative decisions.
They cover such areas as the stabilization of older arts organizations, as well as the incubation of new ones; the cultivation of individual artists; and the marketing of arts programming. Such policies incentivize tourism, encourage historic preservation, and nurture business and philanthropic endeavors. The ultimate goal of cultural policy is to present culture as a public good available and attainable for everyone.
Cultural planning is linked to regional economic development with the understanding that growth can be sustained through an improved quality of life through participation in all forms of culture. Terms used to describe this phenomenon are the “creative economy” and “creative cities.”
That Trenton has no official cultural policy is not unique; most cites do not. In some ways there has not been an incentive coming from higher governmental entities to prepare one. And yet, it may be the lack of a cultural policy that may exacerbate the lag in economic development in the region.
Why does Trenton lack such a cultural plan? One reason may be the lack of institutions capable of creating such a policy. For some time, Trenton has left unfilled the position of director of culture within the department of recreation, natural resources and culture; its fine arts commission, a citizens’ advisory group, has also been inactive for many years.
Many of the past subjects of academic studies on culture and economic development have been focused on large metropolitan areas such as New York. However, there is a growing recognition and literature that “small cities” function differently from larger ones when attempting to create a cultural plan and perhaps that is where Trenton should look for a template.
Trenton is small enough to follow new ideas that attempt to combine culture “downtown” with that in neighborhoods.
So what might be the keys for cultural planning here? Cultural policies do not develop naturally; they use deliberative processes that require the focus of many stakeholders. Some ideas are:
1. Set a goal to develop a cultural policy for Trenton using a consultant versed in such planning efforts as well as city residents and other Trenton supporters.
2. Fill positions in city government dedicated to culture.
3. Bring back the city’s arts commission so that private individuals have input into arts, culture, and economic planning.
4. Recognize that Trenton is small enough to do cultural planning that strengthens both downtown and neighborhood assets.
5. Promote cultural and tourism planning with city/state, county-wide, and regional planning agencies.
6. Use colleges and university resources.
7. Recognize that an essential part of the plan to attract new middle-class housing must be cultural attractions that they can patronize throughout the city
8. Work to increase cultural participation by Trentonians as well as visitors and tourists.
9. Plan for workforce development through heritage tourism.
10. Plan now to avoid possible residential displacement in the future.
11. Recognize that economic growth through culture happens regionally, not just in cities themselves.
Helen M. Shannon, a Trenton resident, is associate professor, Museum Studies Department, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; former executive director, New Jersey State Museum; Leadership Trenton Fellow 2004 and Leadership New Jersey Fellow 2005; Trenton Historical Society trustee; and founding member of the Trenton Cultural Resources Network.
This article originally appeared in a more detailed version on the website Beautiful Trenton: beautifultrenton.wordpress.com.
Building Trenton’s bridge to the future
By John Boyd, Jr.
I am often asked by business and community leaders in the region about Trenton and what my recommendations and outlook would be.
First, Trenton needs to position itself to work with the major “new urbanism” investment trend, a dominant theme in our firm’s national site selection work. Smart business leaders, investors and politicians are all getting behind this movement focused on redevelopment and reuse of underused real estate in our nation’s urban centers, especially those served by mass transit, which Trenton is — by both light rail and Northeast Corridor mainline service.
There are developers around the country with impressive track records that specialize in the kind of redevelopment projects that need to take place in Trenton, including its coveted waterfront. Moreover, the state now has a new financial incentive program specifically crafted to assist these reuse projects. At the federal level, we see many of these projects come to fruition with the help of green card-seeking overseas investors through the hugely successful EB-5 visa program – a perfect match for Trenton.
Further, much of this comes down to leadership. While New Jersey has benefited from the strong leadership of pro-business Gov. Christie, Trenton continues to suffer from a severe lack of local leadership. Unfortunately, Trenton has no corporate benefactors like Quicken Loans CEO Dan Gilbert in Detroit, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh in downtown Las Vegas, or Don Hall of Hallmark Cards in Kansas City. Another leadership gap that needs to be filled lies within Mercer County’s strong academic community led by the College of New Jersey, Rider, and Princeton universities.
In the Atlantic City area, for example, Stockton College president Herman Saatkamp has been instrumental in buying and redeveloping the historic Seaview Resort and partnering with Cornell to offer one of the nation’s leading hospitality industry programs. Stockton has also capitalized on the presence of the Federal Aviation Administration Tech Center at the Atlantic City Airport and is developing leading-edge aerospace and drone curriculums.
The much-hyped but underperforming “Einstein Alley,” promoted as a Central Jersey innovation zone, should include Trenton and its advantages of mass transit and available, low-cost real estate ready for redevelopment and reuse. Trenton also needs to leverage new state incentives such as the Grow NJ Fund. Camden is already positioning itself and setting its sights on attracting back-office operations from across the Delaware River in Philadelphia, just like Jersey City has done by attracting investment and jobs from across the Hudson in New York City.
Indeed, there is great potential today for Trenton to attract new corporate investment and jobs. By leveraging higher business costs in northern New Jersey and the anti-business administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio in New York City, there is an historic opportunity for the Trenton region — where business costs can be 20 percent lower than Bergen County and more that 30 percent lower than Manhattan — to attract new business and jobs.
Another economic driver that Trenton needs to embrace is the historical tourism industry. This is long overdue. Look at the success of Civil War cities in the South, such as Charleston, Richmond, and Savannah, that have been capitalizing on their “War Between the States” heritage and the popularity of battle re-enactments and pilgrimages by legions of Civil War historians and enthusiasts from around the country. Trenton should work together with Bucks and Monmouth counties to tout the region’s unique Revolutionary War heritage and historical landmarks.
Along with “new urbanism,” “regionalism” is another nationally dominant economic development trend. Tampa, Orlando, Gainesville and the “Space Coast,” for example, are all working in concert to attract new industry.
As for quality-of-life issues, especially crime, Trenton needs to take its cue from mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg, who knew that no economic rebirth of New York could ever take place without safe streets and a strong stop-and-frisk police presence. Trenton also needs to rescind its antiquated residency requirement so it can hire the best and brightest public servants from anywhere, not just from within its city limits.
All of this takes leadership. Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes, along with the imminent new administration in Trenton and Mercer County’s academic and civic leaders, need to come together to connect these dots and get results. Timing is everything in economic development — and for Trenton, the timing is now.
John Boyd Jr. is a principal at the corporate site selection firm The Boyd Company Inc. in Princeton. For more information, go online to theboydcompany.com.
A version of this opinion piece appeared in the Times of Trenton on March 16, 2014.
