No organization can strive for excellence, or even attempt to improve, without the ability to renew. While Waterman was writing with the business organization primarily in mind, his observation in no less applicable for a city.
Renewal is the antidote for obsolescence, decay and apathy.
It is precisely at the time when many things seem to be going well that we must be most concerned about complacency. Presently many of the key indicators are headed in the right direction. Unemployment and crime statistics are generally down. But one of the themes of this current era is the rapidity of change. We must be alert to the possibility of sudden, sometimes subtle, changes that could derail or redirect us from the current course.