Recently, I came across author Peter Kageyama and his books For the Love of Cities and Love Where You Live. In these books, Kageyama explores the emotional connection residents have with their city and the economic benefits that love for one’s city brings.
In For the Love of Cities, Kageyama writes, “The city, as a whole, is made by a relatively small number of ‘co-creators’ who–in roles as entrepreneurs, activists, artists, performers, students, organizers and otherwise ‘concerned citizens’–create the experiences that most of us consume….They make the experiences that we delight in, and they have a disproportionate impact in the making of the city.”
These co-creators operate from a love for their city. Edgewater has a strong history of co-creators driving new ideas and initiatives that have benefited our city. Now we have a new generation moving into our city. According to the real estate website Zillow, 108 homes have been sold in Edgewater over the last year. Many of these new residents are drawn to the small town feel of Edgewater and the closeness to the great attractions Denver offers.
How do we build upon the strong history of co-creators and citizen driven initiatives and inspire these residents to invest in Edgewater and continue to make this a great place to live?
One place to start for new and seasoned residents of Edgewater is by proudly wearing their love for Edgewater with a t-shirt. Residents of cities from St. Louis to Akron are proudly wearing their love for their cities in the form of a t-shirt.
With the help of local designer and artist Dan Katai of Katai Creative, we are developing Edgewater themed t-shirts and other products to encourage folks to wear their Edgewater pride. Our hope is that this is one small step toward residents becoming co-creators to continue the strong tradition of making Edgewater great.
Stop by our Edgewater Collective booth at the Edgewater Farmer’s Market on Thursday nights from 5-8 pm at 25th and Chase and pick up one of our t-shirts. The shirt below draws attention to the businesses and places to gather in Edgewater. Stay tuned for more Edgewater pride products.
Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.
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