We’re hosting Vanguard, y’all
Very excited to announce that CivicLex and VisitLEX will be cohosting the 2024 Next City Vanguard Summit right here in Lexington! Vanguard has been an amazing experience for me for the two years that I attended, and I'm so excited to help share my homeplace with new Vanguards and alumni all across the country. A big thanks to Lucas Grindley, Deonna Anderson, and Sara Schuenemann for their faith and confidence in our vision for time in Lexington.
Why did we make the pitch on Lexington? Well, a few reasons.
2024 is an election year. And given who is running, we know that so much of the dominant national media conversation will be on "red states" and the "rural urban divide". That's the first thing we want to bust open with this summit. We're a city that very much blurs the lines between rural and urban. So much of what we're becoming known for - booming healthcare and agricultural industries, innovative planning practices, vibrant music, literary, and culinary communities, our prominent LGBTQ culture, and of course, horses and bourbon - are all rooted in rural people and land, in one way or another. We're excited to explore that complexity.
2024 is an important year for us here in Lexington too. We're expanding our Urban Services Boundary for the first time in a generation. We're seeing significant housing challenges, navigating our complicated histories with race in the lead up to our city's 250th anniversary, we're making big plays focused on civic innovation and democracy, and we're setting concrete goals for climate resilience. We're going to explore all these topics and more.
This line from the press release says it all: "In an election year where there will be many national conversations about the rural-urban divide, Vanguard Lexington will work to deconstruct preconceived narratives about how cities interact with rural people and places. Vanguard will demonstrate how Kentuckians are coming together across race, class, and geography to build a more equitable future."
Big thanks to Mary Quinn Ramer for co-leading this with me, and to all the folks who have helped pitch in ideas for this summit so far. Come to Kentucky, y'all!