Diversity

Our diverse citizens and neighborhoods are among Ogden's greatest strengths. SmartGrowthOgden believes that to grow successfully, we must embrace this diversity.

In recent years we have seen a flourishing of small, locally owned businesses in Ogden's older neighborhoods. Tragically, some people do not seem to acknowledge these businesses as an enhancement to our community, because they are owned and patronized by ethnic minorities. Before complaining about a perceived lack of economic development in Ogden, some of us need to open our eyes and recognize that there are styles of economic development that differ from that of white, middle-class suburbia.

In our downtown area, Ogden does need substantial additional investment. While we applaud recent efforts to invest in new housing developments downtown, we hope that this housing will come in a diversity of sizes and price ranges. Likewise, we hope to see new retail shops that will serve those with a diversity of incomes.

Ogden also needs a diversity of manufacturing and other industries. The current effort to make Ogden a "hub" for ski-related companies is laudable, but we should not foolishly gamble too many of our assets on any one industry or on the volatile tourism business.

We must use special care in designing a new mass transit system for Ogden. It would be wasteful and divisive to build a segregated transit system that provides nicer vehicles for the wealthy but only local buses for low-income neighborhoods. Instead we should work for an integrated transit system that serves everyone, with a connected network of local and express routes, using whatever combination of vehicles is most appropriate and cost-effective.