It's no secret that every town in Arkansas is trying to grow. To grow equals adding jobs. Jobs trump everything. The premise to grow, grow and continue to grow permeates not only Arkansas society but flourishes nationwide. If you aren't for growth you are considered, well, un-American.
Sensible, responsible growth, which improves our quality of life, is exactly what we all want. But it seems that while almost all towns want to grow, very few are trying to grow responsibly. Most are trying to grow at any cost. Are these towns promoting unrestricted growth? Yes, I believe that's the case, because I see thousands of dollars being spent every day, all earmarked to promote growth.
What's wrong with unrestricted growth? Let's take a look.
Back in the mid-1960s I lived in South Texas. During that time, the city of Austin, although not the biggest, was the state's most attractive and livable city. Today? Austin has lost its charm for a variety of reasons, all tied to unbridled growth. The overwhelming amount of traffic and all the problems related to being overcrowded has reduced the quality of life for the citizens of Austin.
I could rattle off dozens of towns across our country that have succumbed to the "growth at any cost" scenario. Just consider this: Do you honestly want to live in Houston or Atlanta? If you have just nodded yes, then it's clear that you really don't understand the problem.
Almost all the chambers of commence in our state have the same goal: unbridled growth with jobs, jobs, jobs at any
cost. The holy grail of jobs trumps everything. If jobs are created, then damn the environment and damn the reduction in livability.
Take Houston as an example. It succeeded, in the creation of jobs and the subsequent increase in population, beyond the wildest dreams of its 1950s chamber of commerce.
I go to Houston at least a couple of times a year. When I left the University of Arkansas in the mid-1960s to work for Exxon as a geologist on the King Ranch, going to Houston was a fun trip. It was a good town to visit. But now? Any visitor quickly finds out that Houston is wrapped in freeways, and the whole city has a freeway roar that is ever-present--day and night. And if you live in the suburbs, as most folks do, it's join-the-madhouse-rush any time you want to go anywhere.
There is no such thing as mere rush-hour traffic. The freeways are packed before dawn and don't clear until well after dark, and packed freeways bring out the worst drivers you can imagine. If you live through those commutes, it turns an eight-hour workday into a 10-hour workday, and those two extra hours are stressful. Does that lower your quality of life? You bet it does.
So why are the cities that are already packed with residents trying to recruit more? And does it make sense for towns in Arkansas to give money to their chambers of commerce specifically earmarked to target industrial growth? No, it doesn't. But consider this: When one of our cities happens to grab 100 or so jobs, it's trumpeted like the Second Coming. That should tell us we have a problem.
Take Northwest Arkansas. That corner of our state has been growing like runaway kudzu and looks primed for more growth. But does NW Arkansas really need a couple hundred thousand new residents? Before you say yes, try to navigate across any of the towns--among them Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, and Fayetteville--without being trapped in almost gridlock traffic. Or, heaven forbid, actually try to be a pedestrian and cross a street like Walton Boulevard.
No, any sane person would say "enough," but all of the large towns in the area are still anteing up hundreds of thousands of dollars to their chambers of commerce, earmarked for growth. There are no strings attached to these public dollars.
Is there another way to grow without reducing a town's quality of life? Consider this simple fact: Because there are thousands of skilled workers who are living in large cities not fit for man nor dog, the opportunity for small towns to grow sensibly is enormous. I'm talking about the thousands of high-tech, savvy individuals and others who are ready to retire or to bail out of those not-fit cities.
So, let's build some new industrial parks! That should bring 'em in by the droves! I'm jesting, but sadly that's exactly what is happening all across our state. Do these thousands of skilled workers want an industrial park? If you think a new industrial park will sensibly grow your city, then you are hopelessly lost in the '50s, and you and your chamber of commerce are doomed to live a lower quality of life. Skilled workers are looking for amenities in a town, and the more amenities a town has, the better quality of life those individuals will have by living there.
The solution is clear: Every incorporated city should pass a one-cent sales tax and earmark every dime to improve the quality of life. Put sidewalks throughout the town, plant thousands of street trees, set up an entertainment district, subsidize quality restaurants, put utilities underground, create great public spaces, have a vibrant downtown, get rid of the eyesore signs, put planters and kiosks throughout downtown, and emphasize peace and quiet, good schools, good shopping, and a low crime rate.
Encourage street vendors, add several hundred park benches, create partnership community gardens, install public toilets (and keep them clean), decorate downtown for every holiday, put up colorful banners, landscape parking lots, have attractive and readable signage, build bicycle and pedestrian trails throughout the city, install fountains and waterfalls, and organize public celebrations and festivals.
If your city embraces all or most of the items noted above, you will have growth and more jobs, and you will have an improved quality of life. Forget the industrial park chamber of commerce mode and just try to make your city a decent place to live. If you do that, your city will grow, and your quality of life will thrive.
Richard Mason is an author and freelance writer from El Dorado.
Editorial on 05/24/2015