Live. Work. Play. 2015

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hange is hard. This is a lesson I have learned over and over in my personal and professional life. So when you start a project to change an entire city, like Anchorage Economic Development Corp.’s Live. Work. Play. initiative, you better be in the right frame of mind. Otherwise, you are in for a tough time.

I have officially achieved “old guy” status.

This is according to most of my family, my younger brother especially, who have made it pretty clear (whether I like or not) I am not a kid anymore. What is more alarming than my newly proclaimed dotage was me questioning whether or not age has changed how I think. I always embraced new ideas, new thinking. After some reflection, I realize that now more than ever, I need to accept change as a good thing in life.

While it may not be easy, it must happen — and guess what?

It’s going to happen anyway.

How should Anchorage change? Five years ago AEDC asked the community two open-ended questions: Why do you live in Anchorage? Why would you leave Anchorage?

From here the Live. Work. Play. narrative was developed. The narrative is the official playbook for the initiative, describing what Anchorage will be in 2025. This year AEDC is going to reopen the survey and get a fresh pulse on the community, with the expectation that we will likely change the narrative.

We have a lot to be proud of in Anchorage. We are a diverse city with quality of life that cannot be matched. But we have issues and challenges that need our attention and our openness to change. AEDC and our more than 100 community partners are working to make Anchorage the best Anchorage it can be.

The AEDC Board has challenged all of us to embrace change — change that will make Anchorage stronger in the face of adversity, more inviting, and more vibrant. Change is never easy. But without change, we and our city will be the less for it. I hope you’ll join AEDC and its partners to effect the changes our city needs to make us #1 city in America to live, work and play.

Sign up for our e-newsletter on www.AEDCweb.com. www.facebook.com/AEDCweb | www.facebook.com/AnchorageLWP @AEDC | twitter.com/aedc @iloveanchorage | www.instagram.com/iloveanchorage

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e have a vision for our future.

By 2025, Anchorage is the #1 city in America to live, work and play.

At only 100 years old, Anchorage is a young and growing city overflowing with opportunity.

Both of us know: it’s what attracted us to this city in the 1980s and it’s what has kept us here ever since.

The stable economy and good jobs, the countless recreational opportunities and access to trails, the diversity and depth of culture… these are the things that have kept us here, and they can be the things that attract the next generation of Anchorage residents.

But while there are many things that make this city an amazing place to call home, the Board of Directors for Anchorage Economic Development Corporation recognized that, to be the #1 city in the nation, we must continually improve and invest.

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To that end, the AEDC Board adopted an ambitious new vision for the organization and all of Anchorage: “By 2025, Anchorage will be the #1 city in America to live, work and play.”

With defined quantitative metrics to measure progress and a community-driven narrative describing the vision, Live. Work. Play. has become a grassroots effort focused on community improvement and engagement, a platform where community members can come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems. It is a community development initiative that ultimately promotes economic development.

Community development touches everyone. After all, who doesn’t want the community where they live to be the best that it can be? Every citizen who lives, works, and plays in Anchorage has a stake in and can benefit from Live. Work. Play. as we work our way to being #1.

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Play., each of the seven areas of focus has attracted leaders and participants with diverse backgrounds, skills, and experiences. The participants in each area of focus are united by their desire to make Anchorage the #1 city in America by 2025.

All of us have a stake in the outcome, and each of us has something to contribute.

Live. Work. Play. is a long-term movement that will ultimately make Anchorage a better place for current and future residents, and it has been our pleasure to serve as the co-chairs of the Live. Work. Play. Steering Committee for the past year.

To be the #1 city in the nation, we must continually improve and invest. In light of the economic challenges that are now presenting themselves locally and for our state, it is imperative that we take action. Building the foundation and strengthening our efforts for community development through

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hat’s your dream Anchorage?

In its 100-year lifetime, Anchorage has transformed itself from a railroad economy to a wartime economy to an oil-based economy.

But if the declining price of oil becomes an economic trend, will Anchorage be able to recreate itself once more?

Will the current situation provide incentive to produce the economic diversity the city needs for long-term stability?

Will improved public safety, housing, and education make Anchorage a more desirable location with a less transient

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population?

2015 marks 10 years remaining in the timeline to make Anchorage the best place to live, work and play by 2025.

Focus areas are asking the hard questions and making real progress on all the major issues. But what is the vision?

We interviewed community leaders to find out what their dream Anchorage looks like, and their responses revealed how interconnected their goals are to one another.

The goal is best city; the timeline is 10 years; the visions are ambitious; and the future is bright.

velop housing ideas for the future.”

She would like to see private and public investors working together to maximize our collective resources; streamlined processes and policies that promote the kind of development residents need and want; plans that reflect the current environment, including housing designed for tomorrow’s residents; and resources that are aligned accordingly.

She asks fellow Alaskans to consider the following questions: Do our housing choices today reflect the changing technology needs and walkability our younger workforce seeks? Do our construction standards reflect the higher energy costs we will all face, making housing even less affordable? Are we prepared to build the housing our seniors need to stay active and live independently? Will we have the courage to catalyze redevelopment of aging neighborhoods to preserve and grow places where business and residents can thrive?

Vision: A well-developed downtown

Vision: Attractive, affordable, available housing As a fourth-generation Alaskan, born in Anchorage, Carol Gore plans to retire here in her hometown and has a vested interest in our city’s future.

Part of that interest includes developing vibrant and diverse housing choices to attract young professionals and retain our seniors.

“Anchorage is maturing and has a different political and financial environment than it once did,” Gore said. “It needs thoughtful investment and diverse engagement from our business community, local government, young professionals and seniors to help de-

As a lifelong Alaskan, local businessman and public policy advocate, Andrew Halcro has watched Anchorage grow and develop for years. But he still envisions more for the city, starting with a safe and vibrant downtown.

“There are 62,000 millennials (in Anchorage) who have a different lifestyle, who want to live downtown,” Halcro said.

From housing development to public safety, he says, we need to improve in the city core.

“We are understaffed for public safety in a city our size,” Halcro said. “It’s driving costs that otherwise could be invested in making the city stronger.”

As Anchorage approaches its centennial, he would like to see a forward-thinking population that has a defined and coherent vision about what it wants its city to look like. He believes that’s essential, especially as the city faces the renovation required in the housing and development sector.

Vision: A walkable city Dale Smythe grew up in Anchorage and went to college in Bozeman, Mont. When he came back to his hometown, he realized he missed being able to walk everywhere.

“Walking is really limited in Anchorage. (In Bozeman) I learned what was even possible,” Smythe said.

Smythe envisions a city where most residents can walk to the grocery store or other nearby amenities.

“We are right in the center of an incredibly gorgeous place,” Smythe said. “The Coastal Trail idea is really paying off. The city had the foresight to make that a reality and its popularity is unquestionable.”

“Let’s not lose sight of the benefits due to costs,” he said. “It’s worth it.”

Vision: Unity in diversity Nina Kemppel believes that embracing our status as one of the most diverse cities in America will make our schools and workplaces stronger. She envisions a city that is known for its awareness and appreciation of different cultures.

“We have the opportunity to create a sense of unity and use it as a strength,” Kemppel said. “There is strong growth in the number of immigrants making their home in Anchorage.

They are starting to participate actively. There are more cross-cultural celebrations happening around town, and they are happening more publicly.”

In the near term, Kemppel believes there is progress to be made in postsecondary education options. As Anchorage develops socially and economically, she believes workforce needs will be different than what they are now.

She would like to see the community anticipate what those needs will be and work with the University of Alaska system to have the right degrees available.

In addition, Kemppel said the Alaska Humanities Forum’s Leadership Anchorage program is helping the city to develop its own leaders, and she’s noticed that program gaining strength from its increasing diversity.

It’s these leaders, she believes, who will help create solutions for educational funding, student preparedness, skilled labor pools, and gender equity in pay – all of which will help create more room for diversity in the workplace.

Vision: A well-developed midtown; affordable fresh food Tamara Green believes that by 2025, An-

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chorage should also be the healthiest and most vibrant city, with thriving citizens who are fully engaged in life and in their community.

As a local consultant and national speaker, Green’s vision for Anchorage is to make living a healthy lifestyle more accessible, more visible, and more convenient.

“In Anchorage, we are both isolated and interdependent,” Green said. She believes both of those contribute to our well-being, making us more or less active and engaged, depending on how we respond to our environment.

Anchorage is a winter city, and Green commends the municipality on doing a good job of keeping sidewalks and trails maintained and making outdoor activity accessible. And she would like to see Anchorage’s world-class trail system become even more interconnected, developing midtown for walking, biking and commuting.

Finally, and perhaps even more ambitious: “I would love to see restaurants where there are a lot of reasonably priced, fresh choices,” Green said. “Fresh food drive-throughs – that would be my ideal dream.”

Vision: A park and trail within walking distance for every resident

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and

“We already know Anchorage parks and trails are why people choose where they live in Anchorage,” said Holly Spoth-Torres. “My goal is to have a park within a quarter mile of everyone in Anchorage, and for everyone to be able to access a trail within walking distance.”

While she admits Anchorage ranks above the national average for accessibility and acreage per capita, she believes there are places the city can do better. Renovating playgrounds, replacing asphalt and bridges, and increasing user safety by adding lighting and signage are

all a part of her vision. But they all require high dollar investment, and Spoth-Torres would like to see the city develop a strategy for infrastructure replacement and funding over the next 10 to 15 years.

“Our 10-year vision is that more people use our system,” she said. “We have to invest in infrastructure that allows everybody to use it, to know where they are, and to feel safe.”

Over the past 10 years, the municipality’s parks department has raised $28 million through the Anchorage Parks Foundation. She says the partnership between the foundation and the municipality is a new business model that has been successful because they’re able match tax dollars with private dollars to fund

capital projects.

It has resulted in an increased level of community engagement that she thinks is critical to the expansion of parks and trails citywide.

Vision: A winter city with a cultural plan; beautified strip malls Shannon Daut has a passion for implementing urban-design concepts as a part of a greater cultural vision. After working in Denver on the Create Denver Advisory Committee, she moved north to help develop the arts sector in Anchorage.

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“Arts can help a city be more cohesive and vibrant and walkable,” Daut said. “Arts have a proven track record in revitalizing communities.”

Her ideas include developing the density of creative and artistic storefronts, promoting a Ship Creek creative district, and advancing the arts sector into Fairview – creating several consolidated areas where people can to go to experience art.

“Many winter cities value art in ways we don’t,” Daut said. She believes the effort will require some branding and some investment, but she isn’t afraid to say that the local art sector can be an economic driver in Anchorage.

Overall, Daut would like to see a cultural plan for Anchorage that focuses on how to integrate art into the city and its future.

“I envision a city that values its built environment as much as its natural landscape. What is up with all these strip malls? What would a strip mall beautification project look like?” she asked. “I’d like us to raise the bar on what we demand from our built environment.”

Vision: A well-connected and welcoming city Summer may be known as tourist time in Alaska, but to Marilyn Romano, the state’s largest city holds 16 |

allure for visitors in every season.

“I have always believed that we have so much to offer visitors year-round, not just during the summer months,” Romano said.

The city’s onetime reputation as the “air crossroads of the world” speaks to its unique location.

Romano pointed out that Anchorage is located within 9.5 air hours from 90 percent of the industrialized world, making it an accessible destination for visitors from around the globe.

“Anchorage welcomes approximately half of all visitors that come to Alaska, which means we had an opportunity to share our city with 1 million people in 2014,” she said.

Romano’s dream Anchorage is a community that makes guests feel welcome, no matter where they come from or what time of year they visit.

“I believe together we have the responsibility of exposing guests to a clean, safe, vibrant area, filled with plenty to see and do,” she said. “Whether it’s sightseeing, shopping, dining or just getting out exploring, the impression should be that we are a welcoming community designed with them in mind.” l

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n 2010, the Board of Directors for Anchorage Economic Development Corp. (AEDC) adopted a vision for Anchorage. By 2025, Anchorage will be the #1 city in America to Live, Work and Play. To accomplish this vision, quantitative metrics were selected to measure how Anchorage compares against the largest city in each state and the District of Columbia. The metrics are divided into three categories: Live, Work and Play. Each year AEDC gathers the data for the metrics, compares it against the other cities and determines the rankings. : Anchorage ranks 20th | Dropped four ranks from one *** year ago. The LIVE category encompasses data on the cost of living, diversity, health, education and crime statistics for Anchorage. For the second year in a row, the overall ranking for LIVE fell.

Violent crimes per 1,000 residents % change, 2010 vs. 2012 changed to “Violent crimes per 1,000 residents, 3 Year Average Annual Percentage Change (2011-13).

Property crimes per 1,000 residents % change, 2010 vs. 2012 changed to “Property crimes per 1,000 residents, 3 Year Average Annual Percentage Change (2011-13) The previous metrics compared a single year’s statistics against another’s, whereas the new metrics provide a more comprehensive sense of the direction of change, positive or negative. This smooths out irregular changes in the data and reduces variations over time, giving cities a more accurate ranking.

% of Population Reporting Health Status as “Good” or Better.

The number of people in Anchorage who gave this response on the Center for Disease Control & Prevention’s (CDC) survey increased 2.5 percent to a total of 86.3 percent from 2011 to 2012.

reported in Anchorage by the FBI Uniform Crime Reports increased by fourteen percent in 2013 over 2012. To 12,032. This caused the three year average to spike considerably and will affect the metric until 2016.

8th Grade Reading Proficiency, 8th Grade Math Proficiency, High School Reading Proficiency and High School Math Proficiency rankings have not be updated, but are included in this year’s metrics. A lag in data collection by the source agency (The New American Foundation) has resulted in no new data being available at this time. Updated metrics are expected to be available in mid-2015 and will be incorporated into the “Live” ranking at that time.

Tolerance Index. The updated data for this index is not publicly available and AEDC does not at this time have resources allocated to obtain this information.

ONE METRIC FELL SIGNIFICANTLY, -20 Property crimes per 1,000 residents, 3 Year Average Annual Percentage Change (2011-13). After four years of totals fluctuating between 9,455 and 10,543, the number of property crimes | 19

*** : Anchorage ranks 2nd | Moved up three ranks from one year ago.

The WORK category encompasses data on the economy, business, transportation, career opportunities and workforce development. This is Anchorage’s strongest ranking, and has reached an all-time high this year.

Net Job Flows is a ranking of a region’s ratio of total jobs gained over the most recent four quarter period to the region’s total population.

In previous years, the jobs data was collected at the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) level and the population data was collected at the city level. This underrepresented the population the jobs data came from. This year, both the jobs and population numbers are at the MSA level. For Anchorage, this resulted in a sizable improvement of this metric, going from 42nd in 2014 to 22nd this year.

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Average monthly earnings grew 1.65 percent from 2012 to 2013 helping Anchorage gain seven places in this year’s metric. A closely related metric, Average new hire earnings, also showed a gain from eighth to fourth.

The Unemployment rate metric, a ranking of the average of the most recently reported twelve month’s rates, dropped from 10th to 17th.

While Anchorage’s unemployment rate is at a respectable 5.1, five cities with far less seasonal fluctuation in their employment cycles made gains that enabled them to pull ahead of Anchorage.

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*** : Anchorage ranks 15th | Dropped one rank from one year ago.

The PLAY category encompasses data on arts and culture, recreation and entertainment.

During the past month, did you participate in any physical activities? and % of population neither overweight nor obese metrics improved over last year. These metrics are taken from the same CDC survey as the % of population reporting health status as “good” or better metric in the “Live” ranking that also showed marked improvement.

Full service restaurants per 100,000 residents (-3) and # of Arts Related Jobs per 1,000 Residents (-2) metrics show a small drop this year. These are not seen as substantial movements, but rather the effect of slight changes in population totals throughout the fifty-one sample cites.

# of healthy days for being active outdoors. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Score dataset produced only 13 different values for the fifty-one cities surveyed. This resulted in twenty-four cities tying for first, a level of detail that was deemed unsatisfactory by staff. A new source for air quality data will be explored for inclusion in next year’s metrics.

s the Live. Work. Play. initiative reaches its 10-year countdown to the objective of making Anchorage the No. 1 city in America to live, work and play by 2025, the leaders for each of the seven focus areas check in with an update on their goals, challenges and progress. Want to get involved? Go to page 32 for information on how you can participate.

In the Anchorage School District, 25 percent of students start the school year in one school and end in another – an astounding statistic that Andrew Halcro, chair of the education committee, believes is directly related to the expensive housing market, as families move due to living expenses.

Meanwhile, East High School, Halcro’s alma mater, has the most diverse student population in the country – a demographic challenge that the school system must absorb.

“There are more demands and fewer resources,” Halcro said. “But lean budget years do not have to mean bad education years.”

In light of falling oil prices, it is a welcome message.

As ASD navigates a shifting education landscape, Halcro has made it a priority for the focus group to establish benchmarks that not only help educators measure success but help 22 |

the state and nonprofit organizations to focus their limited resources. With the goal of a 90 percent graduation rate by 2020 (the current rate is 77 percent), those benchmarks include kindergarten readiness, third grade reading standards, and eighth grade math standards.

Halcro’s goal for the coming year is to collect and synthesize more data to evaluate trends and identify weak points in the K-12 pipeline.

“By the time a student is 18, they will have spent 15 percent of their life in a classroom,” Halcro said.

If Anchorage is going to have the best education system in the country in 10 years, we need to make that time count.

According to an employer survey conducted

by the housing focus area, workers moving to Anchorage are shocked by two things: how dark it gets in the winter and the high cost of housing for what they get in return.

Carol Gore and Tim Potter, focus area cochairs, are committed to making the Anchorage housing market less bleak than its winters.

Nearly 150 local businesses, from financial services to oil and gas to health care, participated in the survey about local housing issues.

Results revealed that 15 percent of recruits declined jobs because of housing – primarily due to cost – while 44 percent of current employees were dissatisfied with their housing options.

“Housing matters to local business,” Gore said, and the challenges are evident.

Developers need capital funding for infrastructure and more coordination between funders; outcomes require lengthy processes to change policy and regulation; local regulations limit our options for growth.

For example, Gore said, multifamily regulations in Title 21 are now being applied to actual designs.

“While there are some good changes, many developers, planners and architects are identifying costly, unintended consequences that make building multifamily units financially infeasible,” Gore said. “Some of the regulations limit design ideas that could bring the same outcome with a different and less costly design. Some regulations make energy efficiency construction more difficult, and some result in building fewer units of housing when we need every unit possible to meet demand.

Potter added that Anchorage is not replacing housing units as fast as they deteriorate.

That, in turn, drives up prices. Potter argues that there is no financial incentive to tear down or upgrade, since housing is in demand, cash flow is high, and there are no viable replacements.

“What we build today is what Anchor-

age residents will live in 30 to 50 years from now,” Gore said.

With that in mind, the housing focus area is working to develop a vision for how we can build today in order to better serve Anchorage residents of the present and the future.

“I would like to see employers embrace workplace well-being as a business strategy,” co-chair Tamara Green said when asked to describe her focus area’s vision for success.

Through the Workplace Well-being Employer Recognition Program, her goal is to help leaders understand the role that organizational culture plays in workplace well-

being and the role they play in influencing it, and to encourage them to be intentional about what they want their company culture to look like.

During the past year, the focus area created a set of criteria based on health programs, policies and measurements for employers to use as a gauge for workplace well-being.

The standing meeting was one example of an unconventional step managers are taking to instill well-being in the workplace.

“Sitting is considered the new smoking,” Green said, and the healthier stand-up meeting has an added benefit: “Pontificators pontificate less,” Green said with a laugh.

Green would like the group to gather an inventory of other creative ways that employers are implementing wellness in the workplace and use it as an idea bank for small businesses throughout Anchorage.

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The greatest stumbling block on the path to workplace well-being? Time.

“Everyone’s so busy,” Green said. She hopes to help employers and employees to develop a holistic, health-conscious lifestyle, so that wellness becomes a part of a routine, rather than something to be added to an already full day.

Green said she sees huge potential for collaboration with educators and the trails initiative team members, to help people integrate wellness into their daily lives and to increase their quality of life through how they work and play.

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Initiatives such as bystander intervention training, the downtown lighting project, and the pedestrian reflector project are all a part of the community safety focus group’s strategy to involve local businesses and citizens in the effort toward a safer Anchorage.

Along with the Anchorage Downtown Partnership, the focus area is studying how lighting can be improved to both suppress crime and save energy in the downtown area.

“Too much light and too much glare can obscure things, as well,” said Chief Mark Mew of the Anchorage Police Department, chair of the community safety focus group.

The team is looking at subtle lighting solutions that look softer, cost less and improve safety.

Another of his group’s goals is to improve safety through building design.

“You can make a facility safe by making it look like a prison,” Mew said. “But how do you make a building safe and still look inviting for the public?”

Using the Crime Prevention through Environmental Design approach, his team is working to make buildings safe and inviting. They hope design principles that integrate safety and beauty through mindful landscaping, lighting and building will help people feel safer in their city.

The chief also said he’s pleased that there has been improvement in rates of violent crime against Anchorage residents.

“I’m not declaring victory, but I am very encouraged to see that the trends for aggravated assault and domestic violence-related crime have been down for a year,” Mew said.

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be a key player in attracting workers – especially younger people,” Daut said. “The arts strengthen livability and can help play a role in attracting new labor pools to Alaska.”

The new entity would serve as an umbrella organization for the local arts sector; give artists the tools they need to be successful; connect artists to local businesses in new ways through sponsorships and contracts with artists for storefront design, signage, and handmade goods for display.

“We have an opportunity to develop something from scratch that can be vibrant, relevant, and innovative,” Daut said.

For 2015, Daut hopes to see an increase in the focus area’s work with other focus areas to help artists and business leaders integrate.

“There are great examples of artists working in policy, housing, education.”

tra

brought in nearly $18 million in revenue in Anchorage alone, while art galleries and individual artists brought in an additional $33 million, according to the 2012 Creative Vitality Index—the most recent available report on the health of the creative economy, compiled by the Western States Arts Federation.

Shannon Daut, co-chair of the Creative Placemaking focus area, has a clear goal for her team: Establish a local arts council in Anchorage to serve the city’s flourishing arts sector.

Anchorage is one of the only major U.S. cities without one, she says, and so far, with AEDC, the group has secured funds from the city to develop a local arts council for Anchorage.

“A lot of research has shown that well-designed cities with vibrant artistic offerings can

Ninety-five percent of Anchorage residents think the trail system makes Anchorage a better place to live, work and play, according to a survey the trails initiative focus area conducted this past year.

While residents use the trail system as a recreational outlet and employers use it as a recruiting incentive, city managers are just trying to keep it usable.

Because of the trail system’s tremendous value and popularity, the trails initiative focus area, co-chaired by Stewart Osgood, is primarily concerned with maintaining it.

The challenges are wide as the trail system is long. Last year’s bridge collapse at Westchester Lagoon resulted in a bridge status report that showed some discouraging numbers. Up to 37 bridges require upgrades or replacement, at a sum of up to $1.5 million per bridge – more than $55 million altogether.

The project, which has not been budgeted for, is also being delayed by design, procurement, bidding and permitting processes. The costs do not include the resurfacing of 30-year-old

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trails and creating trail connections for a list of gaps throughout the network.

For the coming year, Osgood hopes to see the development of a financial plan for replacing and repairing these aging trails and bridges. He hopes his group can help planners to take better care of what we have, and noticeably improve connectivity to increase access and continuity to neighborhoods, as well as employment and educational centers.

His vision for the trail system goes beyond recreation: He’d like to link trails to business so people can commute to work by trail system, and help Anchorage to become a “multi-modal” city.

Anchorage is one of the most diverse cities in America. The One Anchorage, One Economy focus group’s goal is to represent the city’s emerging cultures and LGBT and senior populations and to be forwardthinking about solutions for their local challenges, such as affordable housing and public transportation.

“Our efforts are about building bridges within our community, with businesses taking the lead, so that Anchorage celebrates the economic

power and benefits that come with promoting diversity in our economy and workforce,” said Anchorage attorney and focus group co-chair Glenn Cravez.

Over the past year, the focus area has more than doubled the number of corporate sponsors engaged in One Anchorage, One Economy, and has created an equality index, 1+1 Alaska, for employers to implement within the workplace.

The Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and AEDC are encouraging local businesses to participate in and support the 1+1 Alaska initiative, which is being spearheaded by Identity Inc. and the Pride Foundation.

Businesses that complete a brief online survey about their policies and practices towards employees, consumers and the broader community will be eligible for recognition for their own practices promoting diversity. The focus area group believes that the internal anti-discrimination policies 1+1 Alaska promotes will not only serve employees but give companies a competitive advantage.

“Promoting equal rights isn’t just about politics and the law,” Cravez said. “It’s also about the commerce of diversity, and we all come out ahead.”

The committee’s ongoing goal is for more businesses to commit to 1+1 Alaska; to help decision makers recognize the economic power of these groups; and to create a network of leaders within each group that will participate in the decision making process. l

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Phone (907) 276-4414 Toll-free: (877) 276-4414 www.professionalgrowthsystems.com 26 |

Join us

for A Centennial Year, An Arctic Season

2015

Connect to a vibrant North through engaging events and experiences. Join us Friday evenings for indoor and outdoor art installations and other innovative programs,

CO NN ECT

enjoy music and food on the lawn this summer, and attend the National Geographic Live speaker series at the Alaska Center for the Preforming Arts.

The Anchorage Museum connects people, expands perspectives and encourages global dialogue about the North and its distinct environment.

Discover Anchorage’s past, learn about contemporary life in the North in all its diversity, and celebrate the promise of the future as part of the Anchorage Centennial.

EXP LO R E

D I S C OVE R

Explore the rich history and current perspectives of the Arctic, from Captain Cook’s search for the Northwest Passage, to our relationship with sea ice and Alaska’s role in the international Arctic.

Re-imagine the North through inspired technology. We’re using 3D printing to replicate objects in our collection, putting GoPro® cameras in the hands of visitors, and re-creating the museum in the popular game Minecraft. Become an inventor in the Smithsonian’s Spark!Lab opening this spring, and experience Van Gogh's masterpieces this fall with larger-than-life projections of his paintings.

RE -I MAGI N E

Visit anchoragemuseum.org to learn more.

GET INVOLVED

IMAGES: Mike Conti, Cabin Fever Film Series; baseball image, Walter T. Phillips Photograph Collection, Alaska State Library; Shishmaref, Alaska, image by Jayson Smart; Minecraft image, Anchorage Museum

y 2025, Anchorage will be the No. 1 city to live, work and play. And of course, for those of us who call the city home, it’s No. 1 in our hearts and minds. But there are all sorts of other rankings out there, good and some not so good. Here’s a look at just a few of the many rankings Anchorage earned in 2014. Some signal areas where we can improve. Some are worth bragging about. And a few are just — well, let’s just say they’re conversation starters.

First, some good news: According to Yahoo! Finance, of the 372 metro areas in the U.S., Anchorage has the second lowest poverty rate. It’s also the sixth richest metro area in the country. And it’s not

28 |

like there are just a few millionaires throwing off the metric — CNN found that when it comes to wealth inequality (the gap between the rich and the poor), Anchorage is the second least affected city in the country, coming in just behind Ogden, Utah, in terms of economic parity.

On the other hand, Anchorage is the 23rd most expensive city in the U.S., and we particularly feel that pinch at the grocery store: When the Gallup-Heathways Well-Being Index ranked 189 metro areas based on access to affordable fruits and vegetables, Anchorage came in last.

When it comes to connectivity, Anchorage is near the head of the pack. The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey found that Anchorage ranks ninth when it comes to the percentage of households

with high-speed Internet and 10th for the percentage of households that have a computer. And presumably we’re all using those computers to manage our bank accounts; Bizjournals.com named Anchorage among the top five best U.S. cities for saving money.

Anchorage is welcoming more young professionals all the time, and there’s good news for growing families from Whattoexpect.com, which ranked Anchorage No. 8 in its list of the 10 best cities to have a baby.

And when it’s time for friends from Outside to plan their vacations, you might mention to them that Huffington Post named Anchorage one of the top 20 U.S. cities for 20-somethings to visit. (That ranking may or may not have anything to do with Bizjournals.com naming Alaska the third-“booziest” state in the nation based on criteria such as per-capita craft breweries and last-call hours.)

Speaking of young professionals, Kiplinger put Anchorage at No. 2 in its ranking of best cities for college grads, based on job opportunities, competitive salaries and budget-friendliness. (Heads up, No. 1 Boulder, Colo.: We’re coming for you.) And the nonpartisan Tax Foundation ranks Alaska No. 4 among the 50 states for our business-

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In a ranking that has been hotly debated around tables in every burger joint in town, Anchorage was named home of the best burger in Alaska — specifically, Business Insider ranks Tommy’s Burger Stop as the hands-down top burger in the state.

Finally, Movoto.com puts Alaska near or at the top of two critical rankings: We have the second-highest percentage of Star Trek fans in the nation — and

when it comes to Star Wars fans, we’re No. 1.

So to put the Live. Work. Play. vision in terms we can all appreciate: “Live long. Prosper. And let the Play be with you.” l

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s a community member, how can you contribute to the progress of the Live. Work. Play. initiative and start improving your city today? We surveyed the leaders of the focus areas to find out where they need help and how citizens, businesses and organizations can get involved.

The 90% by 2020 initiative has immediate volunteer needs to support children and youth in the community by making sure Anchorage has a 90% high school graduation rate by 2020.

Learn more at 90by2020.org.

Young professionals should apply for the Leadership Anchorage program hosted by the Alaska Humanities Forum. Alaska’s premier civic engagement and leadership cultivation program, Leadership Anchorage is a yearlong program of interviews, group activities, reading, and skills building designed to develop the next generation of leaders. Learn more at Akhf. org/content/leadership-anchorage.

The housing focus area recently invited Anchorage residents to participate in its employees’ survey, designed to assess the realities, wants and needs of housing in the region. The group is currently analyzing the more than 600 results.

As a support partner for this work, Housing Anchorage is bringing together a variety of focus groups to expand the data. Join the conversation and learn more about their work at Facebook.com/HousingAnchorage.

32 |

The housing focus area is looking for a member of a large retail business to participate in its work group. This is a large segment of the city’s business portfolio, and their perspective matters. To participate, contact Archana Mishra, Live. Work. Play. director, at amishra@ aedcweb.com.

Workplace well-being starts at home, according to focus area co-chair Tamara Green.

Take care of yourself and take responsibility for your health. Be an example for your children, your co-workers and your friends.

If your employer isn’t doing anything to promote well-being in the workplace, or if their efforts haven’t been communicated, be that advocate for your company.

There are so many ways to be involved by taking advantage of local events that promote community and health. A few suggestions: Tuesday Night Races, Muni.org/departments/parks/pages/tuesdaynightraces.aspx Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage, Anchoragenordicski.com Farmers’ markets, Dnr.alaska.gov/ag/Marketing/FarmersMarkets.pdf

Full Circle Farms delivery, Fullcircle.com This Area of Focus is finalizing a Workplace Well-being Employer Recognition Program for willing organizations to participate and self-assess their well-being program. This program is expected to be rolled out in the first quarter of this year.

For more information, contact Archana Mishra at amishra@aedcweb.com.

Police Chief Mark Mew encourages residents to use RAIDS, an online interactive crime analytics database that APD uses to measure results, target their efforts, and share data with the public. It’s a public tool that allows residents to access local crime data. Follow the instructions at Muni.org/Departments/ police/stats/Pages/Crimemaps.aspx.

Participate in the Green Dot program – bystander intervention training that teaches people what to do when they witness a crime. To get involved, contact Chelsie Morrison-Heath, community educator, at cmorrison-heath@ staralaska.org. To get involved, contact Chelsie Morrison-Heath, community educator, at cmorrison-heath@staralaska.org.

The Light Brigade has been commissioning artists to showcase their work around Anchorage parks. Their projects are multi-disciplinary in form, including sound, video, light, music, and interactive art forms. Find their current showings listed at Aklightbrigade.com and Northernplacemaking.com.

Community gardening is another great way to beautify the city, and to be active, creative and healthy. Learn more at Muni.org/departments/parks/ pages/gardenplots.aspx.

The Trails Initiative focus area needs assistance in establishing priorities for improvements to the trail system. Submit your comments and volunteer inquiries to Stewart Osgood, trails focus area chair, at sgosAlaska businesses are evolving in their recognition of lesgood@gmail.com. bian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) inclusion in the The Anchorage Parks workplace, and there is a growing presence of Alaskans supFoundation created a Youporting and celebrating local diversity. Find out what’s hapTube video for employers pening at Pridefoundation.org/local/alaska. to use as a recruitment tool.

Last but not least, support Anchorage small businesses.

Watch the video and tell Find out more about our thriving small business economy at your friends: Youtube.com/ Aksbdc.org. watch?v=1R3Kpms4-qE. The Anchorage Parks Foundation is trying to do Another way for young professionals to get involved with what community members the Live. Work. Play. initiative is through Engage Anchorage. want for their neighborhoods.

Visit their website and share By exposing this generation of leaders to the best Anchorage has to offer, they are given the tools to become more grounded your ideas: in our community and sustain their contribution to AnchorAnchorageparkfoundation.org. age’s economy.

Engage Anchorage promotes existing events, organizes new ones, and partners with organization to support opportunities in Anchorage. To get involved, contact Archana Mishra at amishra@aedcweb.com. l

In Anchorage, we offer a wide variety of homes in various convenient locations around the city! Each of our communities offer unique living spaces - options to find just the right size and price to fit your style.

Instagram account for Anchorage residents to share photos n September 2013, AEDC launched the I Love Anchorage of how they live, work and play in Alaska’s largest city. zation hosts the account and shares photos of daily life Each week a different Anchorage resident, business or organi 70 hosts and posted more than 1,000 photos. than more in Anchorage. Since it was launched, the account has had nchorage. If you do not have the Instagram app, @ilovea user for ng searchi by t accoun Instagram users can follow the t. accoun the to go to Instagram.com/iloveanchorage to view all photos posted Here are some of our favorite photos from the past year! l

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Sequestered Solutions Alaska SLR International Sockeye Business Solutions Southcentral Alaska Council of Building & Construction Spawn Ideas, Inc. Spenard Builders Supply Spenard Roadhouse SprocketHeads Stoel Rives The Arc of Anchorage The Foraker Group The Planning Group of Anchorage The Trust Land Office UAA College of Arts & Sciences UAA College of Business and Public Policy UAA Community & Technical College Univar USA Visit Anchorage Weatherholt & Associates, L.L.C. Weston Solutions Yuit, LLC

Touring Company. Photos by Jeremy Daniel.

THE TONY速 AWARD-WINNING BROADWAY MUSICAL

INSPIRED BY THE ELECTRIFYING TRUE STORY

MARCH 17- 22, 2015 ATWOOD CONCERT HALL

263-ARTS AnchorageConcerts.org

Growing your business is easier when you have dedicated financial support

At Wells Fargo, we take time to get to know Alaska’s businesses By getting to know you and your business, our experienced business bankers can create customized financing options that can help meet your financial needs. Our lending options include: • Commercial real estate loans • Construction loans • Equipment financing

• Vehicle financing • Lines of credit • And more

No matter what stage your business is in, come see a Wells Fargo business banker today about financing your business. wellsfargo.com

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