Cities can’t solve just one problem

Last month in Philadelphia, I addressed a regional convening of Habitat III, an effort by the United Nations to define a new global urban agenda. I was asked to speak about pathways to opportunity, a topic of a recent conversation I had with Julián Castro, secretary of housing and urban development, and Anthony Foxx, secretary of transportation. It’s hard to talk about this goal in the abstract. Philadelphia is a region with lackluster economic growth, median wages declining faster than national averages, and stark racial disparities. So my talk touched on a range of issues: the role of innovation and minority entrepreneurship in creating good jobs; skills development, especially for underserved young adults, so they can be armed for jobs of the future; and the need for quality neighborhoods with access to better housing and regional opportunities.