Did you see the episode of Sex and The City where Carrie proclaims her love for New York and basks in her glorious romantic relationship with her city (Season 5, "Anchors Away")?
I’m not a big fan of the SATC series overall, but I loved that episode. I’m fascinated by our personal and collective relationships with our cities and regions.
We all have a relationship with our cities/regions. The question becomes: what is that relationship all about for you? How do you feel?
Are you infatuated, underwhelmed, thrilled, disgusted? In love? Indifferent? Whipsawed by confusion?
I think that our relationships matter; that romance can be a powerful force in all our relationships, including our relationship with our cities/regions.
My aim this week is to kindle/rekindle that romantic approach.
It might seem like a stretch at first – from "romance" to economic and regional development. But as I’m writing this week about romance, I want to liberate the automatic and limited association between "romance" and the specific context of intimacy between two people. I’ll draw on that association as a point of reference.
Romance can be applied as a lens or perspective. Or is, at its best, a powerful component in a way of living. We can harness it and use it in all our creative endeavors – and in our mission to transform our cities and regions.
I hope you'll come back tomorrow. Feel free to comment!