Urban Iowa?
Dave Steele | Thu, Jan 3rd, 2008 | Category: Commentary | Tags:
As we begin 2008, I look forward to bringing to you, dear reader, more of my Milwaukee musings in the new year.
As I sit down to write my first blog entry of 2008, however, my thoughts wander for a moment away from Milwaukee to national politics and our often misunderstood neighbor to the west, Iowa.
As the only Midwesterner currently blogging on The Next American City, I feel a sense of obligation to stick up for my cousins in the Hawkeye State. Or is it the Buckeye State? I forget. Whatever the nickname, Iowa is not exactly the vast empty cornfield a lot of people think it is.
This presidential election season has brought more than enough intrigue to make the most jaded political junkie (like me) salivate. But it’s striking how every four years brings the same, well-worn script. This is the time when the candidates and press dutfilly kneel to the Altar of Iowa, to woo the political elites of this largely rural, agricultural, homogenous state, wholly unrepresentative of the rest of the nation. Or so the story goes.
Anyone who has actually been to Iowa could tell you that, yes, the state is a major agricultural producer. But it’s also a state with a proud educational tradition, home to world class universities and colleges, increasing numbers of immigrants, major financial and insurance companies, and several sizable cities.
Yes, that’s right. Cities in Iowa.
Take Des Moines. The last time I was in Iowa’s capital city (metro population 500,000) I was struck at the rapid growth of this prairie mini-metropolis. The sprawl of Des Moines seems to go on forever, and the downtown area, long dormant, has shown signs of revival. In fact, Des Moines is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the Midwest. Even the New York Times recently declared that Des Moines might just actually be a city worthy of a visit.
As Des Moines expands its reach into the rural hamlets and rolling hills of central Iowa, the state as a whole takes on more of a more suburban, if not urban, character. Suburban sprawl with its attendent problems is something an increasing number of Iowans know about. Des Moines is no Atlanta, but when you’re rolling on the interstate through Urbandale, west of Des Moines, the sprawl certainly looks familiar enough.
Still, Des Moines is no big city. Traffic is pretty tame, crime is not much of an issue, and as for an overall urban vibe ... well ... let’s just say that when the Times called the East Village, the new, hip condo district in Des Moines, “just like [the East Village] in New York,” they were definitely being sarcastic.
No one would mistake Des Moines for Minneapolis, let alone San Francisco. Yet the city grows leaps and bounds, and is emerging as a contender in the finance and insurance industries.Maybe what Des Moines teaches us is that for all the talk of “cool” cities attracting the “creative class,” what really drives sustained growth in most cities is boring stuff like low crime, good schools, and affordable housing.
After today’s caucuses, Des Moines, and the rest of Iowa, will quickly drop out of the American consciousness, to resurface in 2012 (or, should I say, 2011). By then, who knows? Maybe Des Moines will be “cool.” If not, I think we can guarantee that it will still be doing better than most other American cities in providing its residents a decent quality of life.
Dave Steele is a planner who lives and works in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He works for a Milwaukee foundation that works to develop and support innovative approaches to urban education.
Hayley Richardson
Thu, Jan 03, 2008 at 2:29pm
Dave, you’re such a hater. Your blog entry should read “the only current Midwesterner blogging at the Next American City,” instead of the other way ‘round. I was born and raised in the Chi, which I namecheck often.
Regardless, I enjoyed the post. Seems that here at TNAC we are often guilty of “fetishizing urbanity,” which might not be the most sustainable solution. Kudos to you for always pointing out that the path to greater socioeconomic and racial justice is probably not the sexiest one.
-----
Dave Steele
Thu, Jan 03, 2008 at 4:37pm
My apologies, Hayley, I had forgotten that you hailed from Chi-town (one of my favorite cities, by the way).
Thanks for the comment. I don’t think anyone would “fetishize” Des Moines. But what do we gain from looking down upon our smaller, less glamorous neighbors in places like Iowa (or Wisconsin)?
I’m not in a huge rush to move to Des Moines. It’s far too small-towny and geographically isolated for my taste. But the half million people (and growing) who live there seem fairly content. Might there be somethiing that Des Moines is doing that other cities might learn from?
Shane McGowan
Sat, Jan 05, 2008 at 5:06pm
The growth and sheer boom of the Great Plains and Prairies cities is nothing new in Canada. Cities such as Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon and Regina have all grown and surpassed the more “established” cities in recent years. If you use metric’s such as average income, greatest amount of people 25-34 per capita, greatest education per capita, lowest unemployment, highest quality of life, and so on the Canadian Prairies are all on top. So it doesn’t seem too much of a stretch to assume Des Moines have a great future ahead for them. Especially with how the oil & gas, alternative energy, bio-tech, and agriculture sectors are performing.