Photo credit: Getty Images
The year 2020 surely will be momentous for Metro Milwaukee with the Democratic National Convention (DNC) happening in mid-July. As we ring in the new year, how might we gear up for our unprecedented civic close-up? Are we ready for intensive warts-and-all scrutiny of everything happening here?
Prepping for the highest-profile event in Milwaukee history is a chance to “get in shape,” individually and as a community. Combining self-reflection with civic improvements could be meaningful on many levels.
Here are 10 potential resolutions to support such ambitions, including ways to expand our horizons and bypass ruts. Many people focusing on some common goals could create real impact—and we’ll hit the ground running by next summer.
• Brush up on Local History
About 50,000 visitors are expected during the DNC, hailing from all over the country and beyond. Inevitably, many of us will become random tour guides and ambassadors to people curious about our collective past. Some visitors will have googled historic factoids. They may want to know more about Milwaukee having the first and longest run of socialist mayors, our legacies of Native American mounds and Frederick Law Olmsted parks or Christopher Latham Sholes’ invention of the QWERTY typewriter keyboard.
• Engage and Pitch in
Whether we enlist as much-needed volunteers or express viewpoints within the to-be-designated “protest area,” the DNC offers rare chances to participate in the democratic process.
• Focus on Looking Good
Although Milwaukee’s come-as-you-are casualness has a certain charm, attention to physical appearances can co-exist with “authenticity.” We can raise our civic beauty quotient with some primping, thoughtful investments and consulting with aesthetic experts such as landscape architects. Let’s do neighborhood spruce-ups, as well as long-lasting public-realm improvements.
• Imagine How Others Might Experience Our City
Are specific civic spaces welcoming and comfortable? Do signs assist navigation and openness, or convey messages that are confusing or exclude some people? Are there benches on major streets and in other public spaces? Who is absent within our gathering places?
• Appreciate the Marvelous Mosaic That Is Milwaukee
Why not take a different route to work, drive surface streets more often and visit places off our beaten paths—whether restaurants, art galleries, libraries, parks or houses of worship? Spontaneous conversations in public spaces can open eyes, doors and even hearts.
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• Ease up on the Drinking
Sure, imbibing beer and brandy are sacred rituals here, but being such a boozy city has its downsides. Let’s seek more ways to foster social connection and economic development beyond alcohol-based entertainment. Okay, we can wait till after New Year’s Eve to ponder this.
• Slow Down
Yes, we’re becoming known for too much speeding—including on our nationally renowned “pleasure-drive” parkways. After taking a chill pill, we’ll also be more likely to smell the roses, notice subtleties, read historic markers and pay attention to one another.
• Praise Laudatory Efforts
Let’s do shout-outs for whatever enhances our community: initiatives, solutions and cultural expressions that expand belonging and increase understanding and connectivity. Conversely, let’s call out approaches or structures that support siloed thinking, bias, segregation, the perks of privilege or the invisibility of some.
• Envision Beyond What Exists Now
Let’s exchange blue-sky dreams with others, including those outside our familiar circles.
• Value Both Visible and Intangible Attributes
Every city’s personality is perpetually on display, regardless of intentional “branding.” It’s conveyed through landscapes, buildings and streets, through wide-ranging culture and in the ways people interact. Residents can try to discern and enhance civic character, but we can’t control it. Visitors’ perceptions will differ from one another and from those of locals.
With all this limelight, our hometown will be viewed through many lenses. Metro Milwaukee will be seen from new perspectives, analyzed and featured in far-ranging media. We residents will be afforded myriad opportunities to engage, including behind the scenes. Let’s make the most of it.
