Better Late Than Never: Revitalizing America's Cities
By Dr. Marvin Miller, Ball Horticultural Company and America in Bloom Past President
I recently received a phone call from a city hall employee from one of America’s largest East Coast cities. This mayoral staffer asked if there were data on the sales of annuals for his “corner of the world,” as he postulated that there were fewer annuals being used. His observation was that certain city neighborhoods were in decline, and he had noticed a decline in flowers being planted by residents as the neighborhoods deteriorated. His question was whether there were data to support his observation. While the question and observation certainly could lead to a “chicken-and-egg debate” about which occurs first – the lock of flowers or deterioration – the query brought to mind some history as it relates to the horticulture industry and to cities.
When President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, the bill that created the Interstate Highway System, it was the largest Federal public works bill up to that time. The bill set out to create 41,000 miles of Interstate highways for $25 billion over a 10-year period. Horticulturally, the Interstate highway system was a boon to the foliage segment of the industry, as it made it much easier to transport plants from the tropical conditions in South Florida to the rest of the country. Kmart’s “blue light specials” moved semi-tractor trailer loads of Florida foliage, which bolstered the segment with meteoritic sales increases between 1969 and 1979, the biggest growth decade for this segment. And when shopping trends dictated that regional shopping malls, often located near the new busy Interstate exchanges, were the future of retailing, these foliage plants stood at the ready to help acclimate shoppers to their new indoor shopping “amphitheaters.” Unfortunately, as a result of this so-called “progress,” many downtown shopping districts were denuded of their stores, and neighborhoods changed.
The irony of this history is that many regional shopping malls are now struggling to attract the hordes of shoppers they once did. The botanical settings they once offered have seen plants swapped for plastics, often placed in those same beds, or more often, these beds have been removed altogether, supposedly in the name of cost-cutting measures. And downtown shopping districts, with distinct storefronts, are once again the rage in many parts of the country, now enhanced by flowers, shrubs, and trees, a definite improvement over the downtown shopping districts of the past; perhaps, these improvements are coming a half-century too late.
In spite of these changes, I feel most impressed that this city staffer has connected flower usage with neighborhood vitalization and lack of flower use with decline. His city has not been involved with America in Bloom (yet) and he did not know of our organization, as he was only referred to me because of his interest in industry statistics. But as we spoke, the light bulbs were flashing, and I was able to introduce him to America in Bloom and our website. This resource will give him the needed ammunition to connect flowers and plants to a city’s or a neighborhood’s health. And with this seed planted, there is no telling at how re-invigorated his city may become.
I recently received a phone call from a city hall employee from one of America’s largest East Coast cities. This mayoral staffer asked if there were data on the sales of annuals for his “corner of the world,” as he postulated that there were fewer annuals being used. His observation was that certain city neighborhoods were in decline, and he had noticed a decline in flowers being planted by residents as the neighborhoods deteriorated. His question was whether there were data to support his observation. While the question and observation certainly could lead to a “chicken-and-egg debate” about which occurs first – the lock of flowers or deterioration – the query brought to mind some history as it relates to the horticulture industry and to cities.
When President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, the bill that created the Interstate Highway System, it was the largest Federal public works bill up to that time. The bill set out to create 41,000 miles of Interstate highways for $25 billion over a 10-year period. Horticulturally, the Interstate highway system was a boon to the foliage segment of the industry, as it made it much easier to transport plants from the tropical conditions in South Florida to the rest of the country. Kmart’s “blue light specials” moved semi-tractor trailer loads of Florida foliage, which bolstered the segment with meteoritic sales increases between 1969 and 1979, the biggest growth decade for this segment. And when shopping trends dictated that regional shopping malls, often located near the new busy Interstate exchanges, were the future of retailing, these foliage plants stood at the ready to help acclimate shoppers to their new indoor shopping “amphitheaters.” Unfortunately, as a result of this so-called “progress,” many downtown shopping districts were denuded of their stores, and neighborhoods changed.
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| Brewton, Alabama |
The irony of this history is that many regional shopping malls are now struggling to attract the hordes of shoppers they once did. The botanical settings they once offered have seen plants swapped for plastics, often placed in those same beds, or more often, these beds have been removed altogether, supposedly in the name of cost-cutting measures. And downtown shopping districts, with distinct storefronts, are once again the rage in many parts of the country, now enhanced by flowers, shrubs, and trees, a definite improvement over the downtown shopping districts of the past; perhaps, these improvements are coming a half-century too late.
In spite of these changes, I feel most impressed that this city staffer has connected flower usage with neighborhood vitalization and lack of flower use with decline. His city has not been involved with America in Bloom (yet) and he did not know of our organization, as he was only referred to me because of his interest in industry statistics. But as we spoke, the light bulbs were flashing, and I was able to introduce him to America in Bloom and our website. This resource will give him the needed ammunition to connect flowers and plants to a city’s or a neighborhood’s health. And with this seed planted, there is no telling at how re-invigorated his city may become.
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