{"id":49910,"date":"2025-07-03T11:06:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T10:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marketingderby.co.uk\/?p=49910"},"modified":"2025-07-03T12:10:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T11:10:54","slug":"successful-cities-dont-just-happen-by-magic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketingderby.co.uk\/news\/successful-cities-dont-just-happen-by-magic\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Successful cities don\u2019t just happen by magic\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Successful cities don\u2019t just happen by magic \u2013 that was the message shared by keynote speaker Andrew Carter at this year\u2019s Derby Property Summit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The theme of this year\u2019s summit was \u2018The Alchemy of Cities\u2019 \u2013 and before yesterday\u2019s event, Andrew, who is chief executive of urban policy research unit Centre for Cities, confessed to looking up the definition of the word \u2018alchemy\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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\u201cThe dictionary defined it as \u2018a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation or combination\u2019,\u201d said Andrew, who was there to talk about the key elements that make up a successful city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is nothing magical when it comes to making our cities successful. We know, not fully, but we know what makes cities successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe challenge for us is whether we are prepared to do what is necessary in order to deliver that success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe cities that are successful \u2013 don\u2019t just magically do so. They make decisions, they make choices \u2013 and they do so time and again. They don\u2019t rely on magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his speech, Andrew cited the work of two of his favourite economists \u2013 Jane Jacobs and Ed Glaeser \u2013 who have given insights into what drives long-term success in cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew said: \u201cForm matters. The first thing is population density and diversity \u2013 it really matters how many people, how many different backgrounds you have in your city. You have to have density in your city in order to create dynamism and success. It\u2019s about creating opportunities for them to frequently interact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe second point is mixed uses, which are much more accepted now. Combining the residential, commercial and cultural in the same area, widening the appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe third thing is that as well as creating new buildings, we need to reuse our old buildings. As Jane Jacobs wrote, new ideas need old buildings. They can not only be great spaces, but they are also useful from a local identity point of view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFinally, we need \u2018short blocks\u2019 and walkable streets. Enable people to get around the city and interact and connect with people. This also helps create a sense of safety \u2013 having people on the streets matters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Andrew then went on to talk about what we need and want from our cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn order to be successful, our cities need to be hubs of innovation and entrepreneurialism,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn terms of the impact on the everyday economy, we know from our evidence that it does far better in places that have strong innovation and entrepreneurialism. We also know that it has a positive impact on high streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe challenge now is to encourage more of our places to be part of this future-based economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew believes that successful cities ensure people have access to the opportunities on offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGrowth is necessary \u2013 but not enough, \u201c he said. \u201cPeople need to access the opportunities that come from that growth. Education and skills are fundamental \u2013 in this respect institutions like Derby College Group<\/a> are probably the most important in the city for addressing these issues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew also spoke about the downsides of success \u2013 and need for urban areas to react to factors such as housing affordability, congestion, inequality, pollution and displacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said: \u201cSuccess drives up demand. If supply doesn\u2019t respond prices go up, and access and opportunity go down. You have to manage those pressures, otherwise people will leave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Andrew said that successful cities require forward-looking leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUrban success doesn\u2019t happen by accident,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s actively shaped, day by day, week by week, year by year and decade by decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s strategic, it\u2019s adaptive, it forward-looking and it\u2019s grounded in long-term planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut for leadership to be impactful then it also needs to have the powers and resources and the capabilities to turn that vision into action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhich is why ongoing devolution is incredibly important. The powers and resources need to be placed into the hands of places like Derby so they can make the decisions to push forward their economies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Successful cities don\u2019t just happen by magic \u2013 that was the message shared by keynote speaker Andrew Carter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":49911,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,15],"tags":[73],"class_list":["post-49910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-investment-news","category-derby-news","tag-dcg"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Successful cities don\u2019t just happen by magic\u2019 - Marketing Derby<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Successful cities don\u2019t just happen by magic \u2013 that was the message shared by keynote speaker Andrew Carter at this year\u2019s Derby Property Summit...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marketingderby.co.uk\/news\/successful-cities-dont-just-happen-by-magic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Successful cities don\u2019t just happen by magic\u2019 - 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