A working document – your input and feedback is valued.
"We, as Duluthians, know what is special about our city. It’s the culture, it’s a spirit, it’s a belief in the core values of what this community stands for. We believe in Duluth because we have made this our home- we believe in Duluth because we understand what this community means in our lives. It’s about time we start using that advantage. My vision for Duluth is that it becomes a premier small city in the Midwest, not only as a place to play, but as a place to live, work and put down roots."
-- Don Ness
QUALITY OF LIFE
Strong, Safe Neighborhoods. Duluth has unique, tight-knit neighborhoods throughout the city. Making public safety a priority will ensure that our neighborhoods remain secure and strong.
Parks, Trails & Outdoor Recreation. Outdoor recreation is a major reason many of us live here—and keeping these opportunities alive is good for business, too. We must protect our green space, while still keeping an eye toward economic growth.
The Pace. Duluth has many of the advantages of a big city, without the headaches (standstill traffic, the commute, pollution and haphazard development projects). Our more relaxed, family-friendly lifestyle appeals to many—it’s time we got the word out.
QUALITY OF PLACE
Natural Beauty. Our beautiful setting sets us apart from many communities of a similar (or larger) size. It’s hard to beat that lake—or that Hillside, or our authentic traditional neighborhoods. Duluth should become a national leader in environmental sustainability and use that to our economic advantage.
Historic Preservation. Duluth is home to many wonderful old buildings and unique architecture—each with a story to tell. We must recognize the value of these treasures to our community and to future generations, while at the same time encouraging revitalization of our core city. These ideas are not only compatible, they can be complementary.
Investment in the Core City. Duluth must continue to be aggressive in our reinvestment into our traditional neighborhoods and business districts. We need to promote healthy development and the creation of affordable workforce housing for all income levels.
QUALITY PEOPLE
Our Values. Duluth is blessed with an extraordinary number of people who are grounded by core values of respect, loyalty, and a refreshing set of priorities focused on the quality of life.
Our Priorities. Duluth can and will become a community known for the talents and work ethic of its residents. We will define our community’s primary competitive advantage by our community’s wealth of citizens who bring real value to their workplace. We create this advantage by investing in our residents and investing in a community that exceeds their expectations in quality of life and quality of place.
Our Activism. More than most cities, Duluth is more than simply a collection of residents, it is a true community of passionate citizens. This is easily seen in the wealth of Duluthians who are ready and willing to actively work together in the community for positive change.
QUALITY JOBS
A Different Sort of Economic Development. We must focus our energies on knowledge-based economy in which human capital is the greatest resource. Successful communities recruit and retain talented and creative people and then give them the tools to succeed. We must support incubators, start-up companies, and give life to innovative ideas—without forgetting to nurture the businesses that have already made our city home.
Duluth – a Good Place to do Business. Our community must overcome the perception that Duluth is a bad place to do business by addressing both the perception problem—and the reality of specific challenges, like our antiquated zoning code and cumbersome permitting process.
QUALITY WORKFORCE
Duluth’s Workforce Advantage. Duluth is in the process of creating a comprehensive city-wide strategy that will make the quality of our workforce, our primary advantage. Over the next ten years workforce issues will become one of the primary factors in a community’s economic success. By pro-actively addressing this impending reality, Duluth will provide real value to private employers.
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