Sweet Spot City
June 21, 2010 
22 Comments
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately … I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.
The reasons Thoreau once gave for his retreat into the forest near Walden Pond are eerily similar to our own reasons for moving to Spokane last month after ten years spent living abroad. My wife and I wanted a more measured pace of life without sacrificing the arts and culture that enrich our existence. We sought a place that wasn’t stagnant, that was reinventing itself without falling victim to vanity and greed and therefore losing sight of the things that mattered — things like the environment and a strong sense of community. We were looking for somewhere we could easily concentrate on the essentials and not, as that surly transcendentalist dismissively wrote all those years ago, fritter our life away on a headlong rush of insignificant details.
You could be forgiven at this point for snickering at our naiveté. Deliberate living? Arts and culture? Spokane? There’s a prevalent strain of thought that will grant the city just one concession when it comes to positive attributes: “It’s a good place for families.” In other words, it’s quaint. Predictable. Stodgy. Dull. And, for better or worse, maybe it is. This city could certainly use a few more bookstores, bands, and exhibitions.
But right now there’s a week-before-Christmas kind of vibe in Spokane, a feeling that something’s on the verge of happening; or maybe it’s already been happening for a while and the effects are only now starting to become apparent: the Main Market Co-op and the larger slow/organic food movement, the push for bike- and pedestrian-friendly “complete streets,” the resurgence of community-oriented and sustainability-minded businesses such as Roast House, the one hundred blocks of free Wi-Fi coverage at the city center, the development of the long-dormant and dilapidated Kendall Yards area, the moves to protect the aquifer.
To us Spokane appears to have, for the first time since the mid-’70s, the requisite impetus and desire to reflect and decide precisely what form it will take in the twenty-first century. And unlike those enduringly beguiling destinations of Seattle and Portland, whose powerful cultural tractor beams continue to entice some of Spokane’s finest away (I’m looking at you, Sherman Alexie et al.), this city still has the ability to do just that, to collectively re-imagine itself in whole or in part. Its reputation and fate are not yet so fixed.
That’s a unique position for a city of this size to be in. It has the opportunity to maintain the back-to-basics qualities that attracted us in the first place and still adopt the very best amenities that cities such as Seattle and Portland have to offer: bike lanes, arts funding, music and film festivals, architectural highlights, the proliferation of public parks. And it can grow and evolve in this way while resolutely avoiding what are so often viewed as the inevitable by-products of progress: a grotesque sprawl at its periphery, a blight of exclusive upmarket condominiums, a wanton pursuit of white-collar job creation that often succeeds only in raising the cost of living, poorly planned traffic thoroughfares and expensive public transportation.
Spokane is indeed a diamond in the rough, and we’re excited about the ways it’s begun to shine. If it were to take the right steps and channel the right resources, Spokane could exert a cultural influence to rival that of its more cosmopolitan coastal cousins. Stem that creative drain and it won’t be long before this city shakes off its parochial stigma altogether. A vibrant creative class attracts a vibrant business class. Which in turn cultivates a vibrant middle class. A city like that doesn’t need to woo location scouts and CEOs; they come of their own accord.
To truly live deep and suck the marrow from life… that would be a challenge even in Eden itself. But to live simply, to live deliberately; to live in a place where your farmer has a Facebook page, where you can drop in unannounced at a specialist coffee roaster and be invited to “cup” before they even learn your name, where you can stroll down to the most popular citywide annual event and not have to fight for a front-row spot, where more than ten cars at a stoplight constitutes heavy traffic, where the symphony orchestra plays to an annual audience almost as large as that of the Oregon Symphony operating out of Portland, where there’s a local public radio station for every 100,000 inhabitants, where the historical buildings haven’t been razed or yuppified, where there’s a postcard-perfect waterfall and rapids running right through the heart of downtown, for heaven’s sake — these are the things that drew us to Spokane. And as this city in flux attempts to augment those qualities with much-needed technological, creative, and environmental assets, our active support is with those who will ensure that any changes are carried out for the sake of those existing qualities and not at their expense.
About the Author
“There’s a prevalent strain of thought that will grant the city just one concession when it comes to positive attributes”, yeah, but these people seem only to be able to compare Spokane to larger cities. Yet the majority of Americans now live in suburbs and rural areas. Coming to Spokane from one of those wastelands is like moving to Earth from the asteroid belt.
“To us Spokane appears to have, for the first time since the mid-’70s, the requisite impetus and desire to reflect and decide precisely what form it will take in the twenty-first century.”
I hope so. I’m one of those people who left in my 20s to the Emerald City to the west, but Spokane is my hometown and always will be. I want it to succeed so badly.
Have you been to One World Cafe?
Beautifully done and terrific perspective. It’s nice to see someone go beyond the usual lazy generalizations! Thank you.
One of the best posts I have seen in a long time. Very uplifting and positive, like all we have been fighting and working towards the past couple of years is finally starting to show to others on the outside and we are starting to attract young people back to the city, not only for what it could become but for what it is now.
Thank you for this very positive and upbeat start to my day.
Yes! It’s all Sherman Alexie’s fault.
Great article.
I’m a little late to the party here so I wonder if this will stir up any dust… What is happening in Spokane right now parallels many post-colonization stories throughout history. Not so much in the actual transfer of power but in the people and the ideas behind the change. The Spovangelist is an example of a native going away from home, getting an education and coming back to be disappointed that her hometown has not evolved to the same level she has. So she takes it upon herself to help propel her hometown into the future! This pattern of intelligentsia returning home to take over their country played out all over Africa and the Caribbean to mixed results. Ghana is an interesting history lesson. That’s not my point though… Enter Jim Sheehan. Instead of saying “he is” I will ask- “Is he skewing Spokane’s ideology to a liberal/progressive direction?” He was the largest financial supporter of Prop. 4, his charity keeps KYRS broadcasting and enables everything that goes on in the community building. What’s his role in the founding of the Main Market? Is there enough of a base of like minded people in Spokane to support such traditional liberal institutions without his dollars being directed towards those projects? I would love to see a investigative report in the local paper about this issue.
Oh, so I get it 30 yr old white male. Education is bad thing and Spokane should stay exactly the way it is. Poverty? Great. High school drop-outs? Keep ‘em coming.
Whatever you do, don’t let the big bad INTELLECTUALS take over, oh no! THEN where would our great city be? In fact, lets place a ban on people who went to schools other than Whitworth, Gonzaga or the U-District campus even living in Spokane.
If someone chooses to go to school elsewhere, lets exile them permanently so they don’t impurify us with their hairbrained ideals. That’ll be the trick to insulating ourselves from 21st Century reality. Ban anyone who has been outside the walls of Spokane from entering or existing in our midst.
God forbid someone should want to improve on Spokane!
@George: I don’t think 30yowm is getting down on intellectuals outright, just pointing out that positive progress isn’t a fait accompli just because a bunch of bright, earnest folks want to see it happen. It’s worth bearing in mind.
His point about Jim Sheehan is also worth considering, too, though I have to admit, I’d never heard of Sheehan before 30yowm brought him up. It would certainly be a matter of concern if any burgeoning progressive movement fell apart simply because it lacked a philanthropic sugar daddy; speaking only for myself, I can assure 30yowm that my politics and my hopes for Spokane would be what they are regardless of whether or not a benefactor like Sheehan is around. Which isn’t to say that, now that I’m aware of what sort of influence he’s had in the city, I’m not pleased that he’s doing what he’s doing.
Good to see you back 30 year old white male. But please remember there is a long history of Intellectual Conservatism, from Edmund Burke to William F Buckley. I believe that their ideas stand up better to the tests of History better than Progressivism.
A for Mr Sheehan, he is singly-handedly keeping open the Main Market (which I happen to like). That’s fine. But if he had applied a real economic model to his store it would probably be in better shape. The ultra-Liberal/Progressive movement in Spokane is not as large or influential as most people believe, save two city council races. They’re just much more vocal.
George- Don’t confuse intellectuals with intelligentsia. One group is self appointed and one group just is. Read up on what happened in NIgeria after the British left.
Even though I did not get a traditional education I consider myself highly educated. I did the whole flight of youth thing including two circumnavigations of the globe and stints in Portland, OR and Central Mass. Once I came back to Spokane I dabbled in the circles The Spovangelist runs in and what Father Jack is talking about here. But as I continue my education I have found how shallow and uneconomically feasible all those feel good projects are. That’s why the Sheehan factor kept coming up in my mind. He enables young people to become “me too” liberals by spreading his dollars around. I also think it is doubly distorting because he did not earn his money and is more likely to accept losses then thinking of something as an investment. If the person we were talking about was say, Ron Wells, I would be more accepting of his charity because he earned his money by being a savvy businessman. I think it is only reasonable to consider Jim Sheehan his own special interest group just like the oil industry, single mothers, or labor unions.
Father Jack- You understand what I am getting at. Aren’t you freelancing for the Inlander? Pass this idea on to a hungry young reporter.
Victor- My two favorite writers these days are Victor Davis Hanson and Thomas Sowell. IMO the two greatest living Intellectual Conservatives. I agree that the lib/prog movement is not that large but they are noisy as hell and have easy money and that translates to more time to pursue their agenda.
Father Jack wrote,
” I don’t think 30yowm is getting down on intellectuals outright, just pointing out that positive progress isn’t a fait accompli just because a bunch of bright, earnest folks want to see it happen.”
The term “progress” embodies a directional arrow. “Positive progress” toward — what?
Once you answer that question you discover that the term “progressive” has been chosen for Orwellian reasons, and that the proper term would be “regressives,” since what lies at the end of the arrow is paleolithic tribalism.
@Contrarian: I suppose I occasionally make the mistake of regarding “progress” in the same neutral light as, say, “development,” which doesn’t necessarily imply good or bad, just change (else why would land with strip malls be considered “developed”?). It’s important not to pursue change for its own sake.
As for “paleolithic tribalism,” it’s a reductio ad absurdam, and you seem smart enough to know that. One could claim similar ultimate outcomes for the agenda of the ultra right wing.
Father Jack wrote,
“It’s important not to pursue change for its own sake.”
Of course not. So “progress,” as you used it, was not neutral; you have some goal in mind. What is it?
“As for ‘paleolithic tribalism,’ it’s a reductio ad absurdam, and you seem smart enough to know that.”
Well, yes, it is. I would think that to be an argument against the “progressive” (read: “regressive”) agenda.
@Contrarian: True to your handle, I suspect you’re going to continue to pick fights over semantics and qualities that you yourself have invented and attributed to those who don’t openly share your political bent. Though it might add the necessary fuel to your animosity, nothing of any value is going to come from a discussion that proceeds along those grounds.
Since you seem to be concentrating exclusively on the political aspect of the comments section, I’d like to redirect you to the post above and then ask a) if my notion of “progress” really needs spelling out, and b) what “regressive” sentiments you could possibly take issue with. Do you really feel that strongly against municipal WiFi, bike-friendly streets, and retailers that offer locally sourced, pesticide-free food?
Father Jack wrote,
” . . . I’d like to redirect you to the post above and then ask a) if my notion of “progress” really needs spelling out . . .”
Not really. It is clearly implicit. I’d hoped you’d make it explicit.
” . . . and b) what “regressive” sentiments you could possibly take issue with. Do you really feel that strongly against municipal WiFi, bike-friendly streets, and retailers that offer locally sourced, pesticide-free food?”
Yes — those are all excellent examples of regressivism. A call for “bike-friendly streets” is a call for a return to an 18th century transportation technology. “Locally-based, pesticide-free food” is a call for regression to a pre-scientific, village agriculture. And while WiFi is not regressive, “municipal wifi” is, insofar as it aims to communalize a private good (as distinguished from a public good):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_good
All steps along a road to paleolithic tribalism (often romanticized as the Garden of Eden).
@Contrarian: You’re taking those suggestions to an extreme to justify your own extreme position — which appears to be an unquestioning fetishism of the modern. Bike lanes and local groceries could only be considered truly regressive if they were meant to supplant their more recent counterparts. And it’s quite clear that I’m not calling for a ban on chain supermarkets or a wholesale return to cycling. The point is, I’d like the choice between cycling and driving and locally sourced food and agribusiness to be on more equal terms; and in some — I repeat: some, not all — respects, those primitive modes of transportation and agriculture are superior to what you might consider their “progressive” incarnations.
Instead of resorting to caricature to give your views some semblance of legitimacy, why not outline your own notion of progress and vision for Spokane and submit it to The Spovangelist for posting?
Father Jack write,
“Bike lanes and local groceries could only be considered truly regressive if they were meant to supplant their more recent counterparts.”
Not being sufficiently familiar with your particular perspective, I’ll reserve comment. But for many advocates of bicycles and localism, that is exactly what they envision.
“The point is, I’d like the choice between cycling and driving and locally sourced food and agribusiness to be on more equal terms . . .”
How equal the terms are is, or should be, determined by the market. I.e., bike lanes are added to streets to the extent that mode of travel warrants them, and local produce is available to the extent there is a demand for it. Neither, however, is subsidized by government, or advantaged via imposition of restrictions on their competitors, in order to advance some atavistic ideology.
“. . . why not outline your own notion of progress and vision for Spokane.”
I have, but I’d rather not use Mariah’s blog to thump my own. Spokane’s shortcomings all stem from lack of money — Spokane does not have a single, locally-based business with national or international visibility — no Boeing or Microsoft (Seattle), no Nike, Pendleton, Tektronix, or Omark (Portland), no Micron, Albertson’s, or Morrison-Knudsen (Boise). If you want Spokane to prosper, you’ll have to figure out how to make it an attractive place to do business. HINT: taxes, regulations, and restrictive land use planning are not the way.
You guys are great.
In defense of the Padre, I think he meant progress in a more general sense than a purely political one. But Spokane should move 100 years forward, not 100 years back.
As for a vision of spokane, here goes:
Utilize the strong industries we have currently, Agriculture and Healthcare. Expand the agriculture industry in E WA and make Spokane the hub of transport (which means tax cuts for farmers and a N/S freeway). Bring a Medical school to the U-district. Encourage and intice manufacturing industries and jobs.
Encourage and create different sectors in society; business sector, arts sector, intellectual sector, a strong middle class.
Retain the college graduates from the local school, too many of them leave town right after graduation.
Minimize those living in poverty (you can never totally get rid of it) and raise the standard of living for those at the bottom of the economic ladder.
But all of this requires financial incentives (TAX CUTS). But I don’t this that’s on Lisa Brown’s agenda, so here we are.
Contrarian: Keep fighting the fight.
White Guy: Sowell (awesome) and VDH (awesomer). Krauthammer is good on the Macro stuff. And PJ Orourke’s funny.
@Contrarian: And so, after much to-ing and fro-ing, we find that we agree on at least one very important point: that Spokane needs a “locally-based business with national or international visibility.” We’ll no doubt have different opinions on precisely how such businesses might be enticed to Spokane, but it’s common ground that I’m quite happy to share.
I moved to Spokane from Seattle 3 years ago, and have since become involved in creating and/or leading two groups focused on peace, compassion and interfaith connection and cooperation.One group almost disappeared but is reviving- the Spokane Interfaith Council. Another is new – One Peace, Many Paths. In my networking around events these groups are sponsoring, I am very excited about being in Spokane at this time and have no regrets about leaving Seattle. It’s not just former Spokanites who are coming here now.
I am meeting people who are deeply committed to peace and compassion in both their personal practices and in their willingness to extend themselves to make Spokane a more compassionate place. They are artists, poets, educators, Rotary members, social service workers, business people, ministers, college students, parents, volunteers of all ages and members of many faith communities. A brand new group networking many of these folks is called “Friends of Compassion”, meets monthly, and is open to anyone who shares a commitment to compassionate action. The next meeting is July 21 (later I’ll post the location for those who are interested).
This is not just about “feel good projects” (although don’t we all like to feel good?) , it’s about effecting meaningful change to create opportunities for people to serve something other than their cynical self-interests. Endless talk about progressive vs. conservative is another way to separate, to divide, and often, to label in order to attack. How does that move us closer to mutual understanding, cooperation, creative problem-solving or compassion?
Thanks for listening.
More late additions… A perfect example of the Sheehan effect is the Bonnie Mager House Party hosed by Jim Sheehan. This is just as much a campaign event by a special interest group as a Nancy McLaughlin fundraiser put on by the Spokane Home Builders Association would be.