UN committee says Glass City under consideration for honor
By Matt Trezza
Monday, October 08, 2007 at 5:30 p.m.
Read more: Local
Would you call Toledo one of the world's most livable cities? That's what a United Nations committee is saying. The mayor is headed overseas next month to make his case. But will an award make any difference for residents?
Mayor Finkbeiner was all smiles as he made the announcement. “We just need to get the word out to so many of our brethren who live here, one of the most livable cities of 300,000 in the United States,” the mayor said. So used to being on the bottom of the list, city staff says the Glass City's got the chance to come out on top.
A UN committee's has Toledo in the running with five other cities for the title of most livable. Other five are Edogawa, Japan; Lyon, France; Malmo, Sweden; Manukau, New Zealand and Niagara, Canada. But can a neat title really change the city?
“I think it can make a difference,” says Sue Wuest, Assistant Director of the Urban Affairs Center at the University of Toledo, “especially if we work really hard to make sure that it's true.”
Schools and jobs are important factors in bringing people to a city. But for the people already here, urban affairs experts say morale is important. “You want to wake up every morning feeling good about yourself; people in Toledo want to wake up feeling good about the city. If we can make the top of the list, that's going to be better than being on the bottom of the list,” says Neil Reid, Director of the Urban Affairs Center.
The mayor will lead a delegation to London, England late next month to try and convince the committee that the glass city is the most livable. The mayor is looking for private donors to fund his trip overseas. He says he doesn't want to subsidize the visit with taxpayer dollars.
