The Future of Jackson, MS

[dal2aus]

Part of the problem is that people in the area don't think regionally. It's always Jackson the city vs. the suburbs. The truth is that the city can't survive without the suburbs, and suburbs wouldn't exist if it weren't for the city. We need to think about Jackson the metro. Every major city in America, whether it's Atlanta, Dallas, or Chicago, looks at itself as a whole region, inner city, suburbs, and everything in between.

Criminals know no boundaries. We all have to use the same bad roads. Business growth lifts up everyone. Crime, traffic, economic development...we either solve these issues together or not at all.

Anyone who thinks that fleeing to the suburbs will insulate them from the city's problems is delusional. By the same token, people who live in the City of Jackson need to stop guilt-tripping suburbanites for their choices and refusing to accept input from those who may live outside the city limits. Suburbanites work, drive, and pay taxes in the central city. Shouldn't they have a stake?

The Jackson metropolitan area is over 300,000 strong, and full of history. If we worked together as a region, we could rival any city in the south.

[Not Made for the South]

It's so interesting how the city/suburb relationship here is similar to Detroit. If you look at some of the city council meetings on the Internet, you'll see the city vs. suburb friction front and center. I'd go as far as to compare Stokes with Conyers.

[poptones]

Bah. Racism ain't a southern thing, it's an ignorance thing. Plenty of that all over. Racism ain't the color of the south, hasn't been in a long time. I proudly show my colors: I got 11 flags flying around my porch - four of them rebel flags. I touch the Bonnie Blue every time I leave, and every time I come home again.

But I bet S&B couldn't even identify two of'em.

[Phil75230]

Originally Posted by dal2aus

Part of the problem is that people in the area don't think regionally. It's always Jackson the city vs. the suburbs. The truth is that the city can't survive without the suburbs, and suburbs wouldn't exist if it weren't for the city. We need to think about Jackson the metro. Every major city in America, whether it's Atlanta, Dallas, or Chicago, looks at itself as a whole region, inner city, suburbs, and everything in between.

Criminals know no boundaries. We all have to use the same bad roads. Business growth lifts up everyone. Crime, traffic, economic development...we either solve these issues together or not at all.

Anyone who thinks that fleeing to the suburbs will insulate them from the city's problems is delusional. By the same token, people who live in the City of Jackson need to stop guilt-tripping suburbanites for their choices and refusing to accept input from those who may live outside the city limits. Suburbanites work, drive, and pay taxes in the central city. Shouldn't they have a stake?

The Jackson metropolitan area is over 300,000 strong, and full of history. If we worked together as a region, we could rival any city in the south.

I agree with you right there, city and suburbs are interdependent. OTOH, we need to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of each much more - particularly regarding the cultural climates.

I'll admit I'm not a big fan of the prevailing mentality of suburbs, but that doesn't mean I want to castigate those areas as unworthy. Some people fit in better in suburbs, others in the central city. Healthy metropolitan areas are simply not so much a united community as they are an alliance of different kinds of neighborhoods

[jacksonian]

Originally Posted by Phil75230

I agree with you right there, city and suburbs are interdependent. OTOH, we need to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of each much more - particularly regarding the cultural climates.

I'll admit I'm not a big fan of the prevailing mentality of suburbs, but that doesn't mean I want to castigate those areas as unworthy. Some people fit in better in suburbs, others in the central city. Healthy metropolitan areas are simply not so much a united community as they are an alliance of different kinds of neighborhoods

I agree 100%. I'm not a suburb kind of person either, but I do know the roles they play in the metro area. For me, and this is just my opinion, there's 2 choices: I'll either live in the city or I'll live in the country - I would not be happy in the middle. If I want a home in a pasture, I want privacy. If I want a home in a neighborhood, I want density and diversity. I don't want a house in a HOA neighborhood (which use to be a pasture) where every house looks almost identical and every property is designed like a small complex - drive in, shut garage, 6' fence surrounding property, EVERYONE KEEP OUT! Right now in my life, I'm a city guy, and I expect I will remain that way for quite a while.

What our metro needs to focus on is exactly the opposite of what the local media thrives on, which is negativity. No one city or town is immune to it either. For every one positive article that is published in the Clarion-Ledger (our local paper), there are at least 3-4 negative ones printed, which is not representative of how life is here in Mississippi - otherwise, don't you think many of us would not be living here?

Instead of trying to put our neighbors down to make our own communities seem better, we would all benefit much more if we all focused on the more positive aspects. Think of it like you would property value - you want your neighbors to maintain their homes so that the entire street can retain/increase the value, right? Well, the same idea applies to nearby towns/cities and the metro as a whole.

After saying all that, it will take as much effort, if not more, to make this happen as it is taking to discuss the current health care debate, but it is possible and needed. The first step is for everyone to focus on being honest and not misrepresentation of any town/city in the metro area. Just because you/I live in Madison and want more people to move out there does not mean you should lie to try to get them there, just like you/I should not lie to try to get people to live in Jackson.