Bay Area government needs vision of innovation culture
In the Bay Area, our pioneering culture of entrepreneurship and risk-taking, world-class institutions of higher education and diverse, multicultural workforce have contributed to a dynamic and innovative economy, and made the Bay Area a model for the rest of the world.
We have the highest level of patent generation in the nation as of 2015, our economic productivity is almost twice the U.S. average, we receive 47 percent of all U.S. venture-capital investment, and we are home to some of the world’s most iconic companies.
Our region — defined by the nine counties adjacent to San Francisco Bay — is bound together not only by our beautiful physical geography, but also by a growing set of social, economic and cultural ties. Individuals and families who call the Bay Area home increasingly draw upon a mix of resources that their local government cannot provide but that the Bay Area offers on a regional scale: job opportunities, educational advancement, cultural enrichment and recreation.
Our lifestyle has dramatically changed, and to sustain the Bay Area’s advantages for future generations, our public policies and government institutions must keep pace with the private sector, which has prioritized working across sector and geography and uses regional approaches to solve problems and cut costs to benefit consumers.
In 1960, 25 percent of all households were dual income. At that time, people had one employer, one car, one traffic pattern, and communities were built to accommodate people’s needs at the local level. By 2012, two-income households made up 60 percent of the country, Americans owned more vehicles and no longer lived and worked in the same area. As a result of increased housing prices and the changing relationship Americans have with work, we no longer are living and working in the same place. Researchers predict average young workers will hold 12 to 15 jobs in their lifetime.
In Silicon Valley, for example, we have seen the private sector take action where its governments have not yet. Companies are fixing the “last mile” issue for their workers by providing transportation that connects them from state and local public-transit hubs to their jobs. Though issues with this fix are still being addressed, the goal is to create less congestion for all commuters and encourage public transportation use.
Having worked at the city, county, regional, state and federal government levels, I know there are many wonderful, hardworking and dedicated people in government at every level. However, I also can say that none of these entities is singularly equipped to address largescale concerns.
Why should you care? Because governments working together to solve regional problems could result in you having:
A faster, more efficient commute to work because the roads on which you drive and the transit you use is owned and operated by different levels of government.
Your housing costs decrease because regulations on zoning are local and state affairs, but housing subsidies can be given at the federal level.
Cleaner air to breathe and water to drink because the federal government sets the national standards, the state makes additional improvements, and it is implemented at the local level.
For examples of successful experiments in regional cooperation, we need look no farther than our friends to the north: Washington and Oregon. The Puget Sound region in Washington represents how regionalism and economic development can go hand in hand. Incorporating housing, transportation and public health considerations into economic development planning allows its region to responsibly prepare for the future while still promoting its financial interests. Similar work is being done by Metro Portland, where members of the regional board are directly elected and have a successful 20-year track record of improving quality of life by working regionally.
To encourage regional thinking here in the Bay Area, I convened a group of leaders from academics, business, government and nonprofits to talk about the creation of a Bay Area Institute for Regional Studies. Its mission would be to help build partnerships and collaborations that enable the region to analyze, discuss and put forward workable solutions to the challenges shared by our nine counties. I also formed a Congressional Caucus on Urban Regional Studies with the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., to work on these issues.
In “The Geography of Genius,” Eric Weiner writes of historically transformative regions such as ancient Athens, Renaissance Florence and 19th century Calcutta, but he ends his book in Silicon Valley. “The Valley meets at least one important criterion for genius: impact. We live differently from how we did 25 years ago, thanks largely to the products and ideas that have been perfected, if not invented, in Silicon Valley.”
We should challenge the status quo and bring together all levels of government, academics, labor, environmentalists, nonprofits and the private sector to think in a new way and address the biggest challenges facing all of our communities. The Bay Area — a place as much a culture and way of life as a physical location — has the potential to lead the way with people from all walks of life participating in the discussion and making an impact.