Most anyone paying attention to urban development in the Quad Cities is familiar with Dan Carmody. Carmody spent 18 years reinventing and re-energizing Rock Island as director of Renaissance Rock Island. He recently accepted a similar position in Fort Wayne, Indiana. (See "The Man Behind Rock Island Renaissance," River Cities' Reader, October 19, 2005.)
Over the years, the Reader has often written about Carmody's projects and ideas, including the most recently published "Vacation Manifesto: Radical Ideas to Grow the Quad Cities" (River Cities' Reader, June 14, 2006).
Davenport's Third Ward alderman, Keith Meyer, upon reading that "manifesto," requested that the city hire Carmody to speak to city leaders regarding his ideas and other important growth issues.
Subsequently, the City of Davenport Design Center hosted a presentation by Carmody, at the Figge Art Museum inside the Deere Auditorium last Monday evening. The event was billed "A Game of Twenty Civic Questions: a lively, interactive session that considers key questions for successful regional development with emphasis on urban core development and global issues."
The River Cities' Reader launched its new Web site last
week, and we hope that it's a visual improvement. But we're most interested in
it being an interactive improvement. Our goal from the outset with this
Web site has been that it will be a space for the community to gather and
discuss community and cultural issues.
