Under a sign that read “FUTURE CITY,” three mayors pondered whether titan tech companies such as Amazon could be models of equity and prosperity in cities. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf brought up a concept called “tech-quity,” which she explained meant that companies should be expected to conduct themselves in ways that contribute to local diversity and inclusion goals.
The forum was part of a conference Pittsburgh hosted last week on prioritizing “people, planet, place, and performance,” or what the city calls “p4,” in urban planning and development. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, who moderated the conversation between Schaaf and Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania Mayor Marita Garrett, responded by bringing up the possible consequences of cities placing restrictions on companies they are recruiting or trying to keep. He pointed to the NFL team, the Raiders, leaving Oakland, in part because they couldn’t get better public financing deals.
“Sometimes you lose well, but I felt like we didn't need to be subsidizing billionaires,” said Schaaf drawing applause. “I really think that we have got to stop this race to the bottom. We’re not going to prostitute ourselves to companies either.”
[For more on this story by BRENTIN MOCK, go to https://www.citylab.com/equity...backing-down/559202/]
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