By Cecelia Thompson
Executive Director, Action Greensboro
Ten years after James Fallows’ essay, Greensboro has much to celebrate, and even more to build.
In 2016, The Atlantic national correspondent James Fallows published “Eleven Signs a City Will Succeed,” drawing on years of traveling to communities across America. Rather than focusing on rankings or economic data, he identified the characteristics that appeared in cities that built long-term success.
I had a chance to re-read the essay this summer and it made me think: How is Greensboro doing? Looking through Fallows’ lens, our community has much to celebrate, areas where we can improve and every reason to be optimistic about what’s next.
1. Local Problems Deserve Local Attention
Fallows said successful cities spend less time debating national politics and more time solving local problems.
Greensboro isn’t immune to national debates. From calls for the City Council to ban data centers to resolutions on international conflicts, national issues can sometimes dominate local meetings.
But the conversations that will shape Greensboro’s future are much closer to home. How do we continue attracting high-wage jobs? How do we grow our tax base? How do we make sure that Guilford County Schools and our colleges and universities have the resources to prepare students for the jobs our economy will need five, ten and twenty years from now? How do we strengthen downtown? And how do we create the kind of community where talented people choose to build their careers and families?
These are the conversations that determine whether Greensboro competes for the next generation of employers, entrepreneurs and talent. They require long-term thinking, collaboration and sustained civic engagement.
Greensboro has made meaningful progress, but this may be the area where we have the most room to grow.
2. Expanding the Circle of Civic Patriots
Fallows found that every successful city could answer one question: Who makes this town go?
Greensboro has no shortage of answers.
Our mayor, Marikay Abuzuaiter, has made civic pride a hallmark of her leadership. We have dedicated county commissioners, city council members, school board members, university chancellors, foundation leaders, nonprofit executives, entrepreneurs, developers and countless volunteers who devote their time to improving our community.
But successful cities don’t rely on a handful of recognizable names. They continually expand the circle of people willing to lead.
We need more everyday champions. Residents who understand local issues, build coalitions, serve on boards and commissions, advocate for public policy and help shape the future of our community. Civic leadership shouldn’t be reserved for elected officials or CEOs. It should be something people see as part of being a citizen.
We also need more visible corporate leadership. Greensboro’s community has a long history of philanthropy, but today’s challenges call for more than generous giving. They require business leaders who are willing to help align education with workforce needs, champion investments that strengthen our talent pipeline and publicly support the long-term priorities that make our region more competitive.
The opportunity is for more leaders to step into the public arena and help shape the community’s future. Every city has plenty of people willing to critique from the sidelines. Successful cities have enough people willing to get in the game.
3. Public-Private Partnerships Are More Than a Buzzword
Fallows says that successful communities don’t just talk about public-private partnerships but can point to projects that wouldn’t exist without them. Here are a few in Greensboro that we’re proud of:
Gateway University Research Park transformed a former industrial site into a hub for research, innovation and entrepreneurship through a partnership among the City of Greensboro, NC A&T State University, UNC Greensboro and the private sector. The Union Square Campus brought together Cone Health, UNC Greensboro, NC A&T State University, Guilford Technical Community College, philanthropists and local government to create a downtown center for nursing and health sciences education while strengthening the region’s healthcare workforce. The Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts became a reality because private philanthropy and public investment worked together. The Downtown Greenway, more than two decades in the making, required neighborhood advocates, local governments, businesses, foundations and hundreds of individual donors to turn a shared vision into one of Greensboro’s defining public spaces.
These partnerships are not isolated success stories. They reflect a civic culture that understands no single sector can solve our biggest challenges alone.
Let’s keep building together. Greensboro’s greatest competitive advantage has never been one institution. It has always been our willingness to work across institutions toward a shared vision.
4. We Know Our Civic Story
Fallows said that successful cities have a shared understanding of who they are. The story doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should connect a community’s past to its future.
We are a city where ordinary people have changed history. For example, in 1960, the Greensboro Four were the catalyst for the national sit-in movement. This led to generations of civic leaders who have worked across differences, and Greensboro has long believed that individuals can shape the future.
We are also a city of belonging. Quakers, African Americans, Jewish families, immigrants, refugees and entrepreneurs have each helped define Greensboro. After the Vietnam War, our community welcomed one of the nation’s largest Montagnard populations, adding another chapter to our tradition of opening doors to those seeking opportunity and safety.
Our challenge is to keep telling that story. Every new resident should understand that Greensboro is more than a place to live. It’s a community where people are welcomed, encouraged to contribute and inspired to help write the next chapter.
5. We Believe in Our Downtown
Fallows said that successful cities invest in their downtowns because they understand it is the community’s front porch. A healthy downtown reflects the confidence of the entire community. It attracts talent, welcomes visitors and gives residents a place to gather, celebrate, and connect.
Downtown Greensboro has come a long way over the past decade. The South End has reenergized with new restaurants, breweries, apartments, coworking spaces, entrepreneurial hubs and small businesses. The Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts has become a regional destination. LeBauer and Center City Parks have become community gathering places. The completion of the Downtown Greenway has connected neighborhoods and opened the door for new housing, recreation and investment.
But we’ve had some challenges. We have seen the loss of restaurants and retailers that helped define downtown. We need cleaner streets, a stronger sense of safety, more housing, continued investment in small businesses and an intentional strategy to recruit the restaurants, shops and experiences that make people want to spend time downtown.
The acquisition of the former News & Record property by local foundations and investors gives Greensboro a once-in-a-generation chance to reimagine one of downtown’s most important sites. More than a redevelopment project, it can become the catalyst that expands downtown beyond a linear Elm Street into a connected street grid, creating a vibrant center that links the east and west sides of downtown and encourages new housing, businesses, public spaces and activity.
But buildings alone won’t create the downtown we want.
Downtown succeeds when people choose to be there. That means supporting the restaurants, retailers and small businesses that have invested here. It means attending festivals, concerts, and performances, bringing friends downtown for dinner, and making downtown part of our regular routines. It also means sharing thoughtful ideas about its future, whether that means how we activate public spaces, strengthen safety, recruit new businesses, or rethink how streets like Elm Street should function.
The next chapter will require even greater collaboration. Downtown Greensboro Inc., Greensboro Downtown Parks, the City of Greensboro, downtown employers, arts organizations, property owners, neighborhood leaders and residents all have a role to play. More than 18,000 people work in downtown Greensboro. Their support, alongside that of residents and visitors, helps create the daily activity that allows businesses to succeed.
The progress of the last decade proves what is possible. The next decade is about building on that momentum, filling empty storefronts, cultivating new investment, welcoming new residents and creating a downtown that serves as the living room for the entire community.
6. We Are Building a Research Economy
Fallows said that research universities are the modern equivalent of a natural harbor. They attract talent, spark innovation and create the discoveries that become tomorrow’s industries.
Greensboro is fortunate to have two outstanding research universities at the center of its future. North Carolina A&T State University, the nation’s largest Historically Black Colleges and Universities, is a powerful driver of economic development through its leadership in engineering, agriculture, STEM and advanced manufacturing. UNC Greensboro complements that strength with nationally recognized research in health sciences, education, business and the arts. Together, they attract world-class faculty, research funding and the next generation of innovators.
Both universities are pursuing Carnegie R1 research status, a milestone that could position Greensboro among a select group of mid-sized cities with two top-tier research universities. That would mean more research investment, more startup companies, more high-wage jobs and greater national visibility.
Greensboro is also strengthening the bridge between research and the marketplace. The Greensboro Chamber’s entrepreneurship initiative is advancing technology transfer and commercialization, helping turn university discoveries into new businesses, products and local jobs.
Our next opportunity is to build on Guilford County’s growing leadership in aviation. As PTI continues attracting aviation and aerospace companies, Guilford County is emerging as the aviation center of the East Coast. The next logical step is to pair that industrial strength with research. By bringing together our universities, GTCC, industry and government, Greensboro could establish a nationally recognized aviation research and commercialization institute, similar to Wichita’s National Institute for Aviation Research. This could accelerate innovation, attract federal investment and create the next generation of high-wage jobs.
The opportunity now is to connect the entire talent pipeline. By aligning Guilford County Schools, GTCC, our universities, employers, and entrepreneurs, Greensboro can prepare students for the jobs of the future while building an innovation economy that competes nationally.
7. We Value Our Community College
Fallows said not every city has a research university, but every ambitious city can have an exceptional community college. Guilford Technical Community College is on the frontlines of recruiting, training and retaining the workforce that powers our economy. Its Advanced Manufacturing Center is preparing students for careers with employers like Toyota Battery Manufacturing and the region’s growing manufacturing sector. Its nationally recognized aviation programs are supplying talent to companies including Honda Aircraft Company, AAR and other aerospace employers that are helping establish Guilford County as one of the East Coast’s emerging aviation hubs.
The college also plays a critical role in healthcare, information technology, logistics and skilled trades, ensuring employers can find the talent they need while creating pathways to high-wage careers for local residents.
Just as important, GTCC doesn’t work alone. Through partnerships with Guilford County Schools, local universities and employers, it helps create a seamless education-to-career pipeline that prepares students for the jobs of today while anticipating the industries of tomorrow.
As we look ahead, continued investment in GTCC will help drive economic growth and expand upward socioeconomic mobility for future generations.
8. We Aren’t Afraid to Rethink Education
Fallows found that successful communities often have schools that break the mold. They experiment, innovate and create new pathways for students to succeed.
Guilford County has embraced that mindset from the earliest years through college and career.
Ready for School, Ready for Life is building a coordinated system to ensure every child enters kindergarten ready to learn by aligning early childhood education, healthcare, family support and community services. It recognizes that preparing the workforce of tomorrow begins long before a student enters high school.
That commitment to innovation continues throughout our education system. The Early College at Guilford consistently ranks among the nation’s top public high schools. Early colleges at NC A&T, UNC Greensboro, GTCC and other campuses allow students to earn college credit while completing high school. Career and technical education has expanded dramatically, with students preparing for careers in aviation, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, biotechnology, logistics and skilled trades, often earning industry credentials before graduation.
What’s most exciting isn’t any one school. It’s how these efforts fit together.
The Guilford Guarantee was created to allow all GCS students to earn free college credit (up to an associate’s degree), obtain an industry-recognized career credential or complete an internship/apprenticeship. Rather than treating each stage of education as a separate system, Guilford County is building one coordinated talent pipeline that prepares students for college, careers, military service or entrepreneurship.
For GCS to reach its full potential, it will require continued investment, local alternative revenue sources beyond property tax, and broad community support from parents, business leaders, residents without children, and even families who have chosen other educational options.
9. We Make Ourselves Open
Fallows says that successful communities don’t hope talented people stay. They intentionally create reasons for people to build their lives there.
Greensboro has become a national model for talent attraction and retention.
Through Campus Greensboro, synerG Young Professionals and Boomerang Greensboro, Action Greensboro partners with employers, colleges and universities and community organizations to help students launch careers, connect young professionals, recruit former residents back home and strengthen our workforce.
More than 1,000 students have participated in Campus Greensboro, with more than 40% staying in Guilford County after graduation. synerG connects 1,700 young professionals across nearly 500 organizations annually. Boomerang Greensboro has helped more than 100 families return home, generating an estimated $26 million in annual economic impact.
The next step is growing participation. Employers must continue investing in internships, mentorship, and professional development. Community members can help by welcoming newcomers, expanding their networks, and inviting young professionals to get involved. Talent chooses communities where people feel connected, and building those connections is something all of us can do.
10. We Have Big Plans
Fallows says that successful cities still make long-term plans. They imagine what their community can become and then get to work making it happen. Here’s a look at what Greensboro is doing:
The Greensboro Chamber’s GROW Campaign has already exceeded its goals. It has helped recruit new employers, support business expansion and secure transformative investments, including Toyota Battery Manufacturing, the largest economic development project in North Carolina’s history. Those successes are creating jobs, expanding the tax base and positioning Greensboro for long-term growth.
The City of Greensboro is also looking ahead. Their Road to 10,000 is a strategic initiative to address the local housing shortage by adding 10,000 new housing units by 2030. It aims to keep pace with economic growth and new jobs from major companies. Vision 36 is a 10-year city plan recently approved by Greensboro city leaders.
But plans only matter if people understand them.
Community leaders have a responsibility to communicate long-term goals, explain why they matter, provide regular updates on progress and create meaningful ways for residents to get involved. That also requires a stronger civic conversation. Greensboro has fewer local news outlets covering long-term community progress than it once did, while social media often amplifies criticism without context. If we want more residents invested in Greensboro’s future, we need to do a better job of telling the story of where we’re headed, how we’re progressing and where more work remains.
11. What’s the Next Craft Brewery?
Ten years ago, one of the surest signs of a city on the rise was the arrival of craft breweries, Fallows says. Breweries represent entrepreneurs willing to take risks, young people choosing to stay and neighborhoods where people want to spend time.
Guilford County is home to 15 craft breweries and operating distilleries, along with too many to count locally owned coffee shops and restaurants that have become part of our identity.
But the better question is: What’s the next craft brewery?
Perhaps it’s live music and sports.
Across Guilford County, creative leaders are building experiences that bring people together and strengthen our sense of place. Jodee Ruppel has helped elevate the North Carolina Folk Festival into one of the nation’s premier free music festivals. Durant Bell, Will Stewart, Daniel McCoy, Arthur Samet, and Jeff Yetter have invested in The Pryle, creating a new destination for live music in downtown Greensboro. In High Point, Megan Oglesby launched Carolina Core FC, proving that bold ideas in sports can strengthen regional identity, attract visitors and create community pride.
Or maybe the next signal of success hasn’t been invented yet.
We don’t know what the next “craft brewery” will be. But we do know this: it will be imagined by creative people willing to take risks and supported by a community willing to believe in them.
Greensboro and Guilford County don’t just need more great ideas. We need more people willing to champion them.
Who’s in?
