The business leadership of Greater Baltimore has compelling reasons to articulate a vision, backed by community goals and priorities, to candidates in this fall's Baltimore City mayoral and city elections. The policies of future city leaders will impact not only Baltimore City, but also the economic health of the region. City policy will also affect relationships among the region's jurisdictions and the top elected officials who will lead the region into the 21st century. Regions, not individual jurisdictions, are becoming the primary economic competitors in the global economy.
Central cities play critical roles in regions' economic successes.
Strong evidence from all over the country shows that regions with declining core areas do not perform as well as regions with healthy and viable cores. The synergism between central cities and the regions around them works in both positive and negative ways. A thriving urban area energizes a region and serves as a catalyst for economic and cultural growth. If a central city is in decline, there are real and serious adverse consequences, both within the city and in the suburban areas surrounding it. Baltimore City and the Greater Baltimore region clearly have substantial potential for global business prominence in the 21st century.