Serious trends, which certainly must be acknowledged, threaten our cities. Whatever your political con-victions, it cannot be discounted that the federal, state and local governments cannot afford to take on all that they did before. There are trends in business that are undermining our sense of place, and threaten to undo the good so many have done. We hear about global competition putting pressure on margins . These pressures conspire to reduce both the dollars and the hours that corporations feel they can make available to community.
Globalization means thinking global.
While this trend has positive implications for international relations and even prospects for peace, it also means identifying with multiple communities in multiple nations. With all the electronic networking taking place today, a virtual organization of the future could be stateless, and nationless. Because there are those shareholders who have become so driven by market multiples that they reward corporations who drop every penny to the bottom line for short-term gain. The pressure is extraordinary. But, ever the optimist, I offer my own list of counter claims.