Editor’s Note: A Vision from the 13th Century

Imagine a great REGION that rises to power and prosperity thanks to its varied industry and a flourishing trade with the East. Surrounded by water, this region attracts talented people from all over the world. They are drawn here by the regions beauty, its dynamism and its cultural diversity.

The regions entrepreneurs accumulate great wealth and support a thriving cultural center that includes glassmaking, theater and music. And they give birth to game-changing technologies, including one that launches a revolution in publishing.

Im speaking, of course, about Venice.

In the 13th century, it was the most prosperous city in Europe. In the 15th century, it was the printing capital of the world. A single printer invented italics, the semicolon and the paperback book.

Seattle is no modern-day Venice. Not yet. But the parallels are intriguing:
We are a trade center with close ties to Asia; we export more on a per capita basis than any other state.

Like Venice, we are a center of great wealthSeattle is home to four of the 10 richest people in America. Our entrepreneurs have been heavy supporters of the arts, including our opera, our symphony and our many theaters.

We are the source of great innovations, including the Kindle, which launched a revolution in publishing.

We have what it takes to become, like Venice, a global center for culture and commerce. Indeed, we are now on the cusp of a great transformation from a midsize city to a major metropolitan area. In the next few years, we will build a new tunnel that will open our city up to its beautiful waterfront. We will extend the light rail system, adding a critical piece to the public transit puzzle. And we are diversifying beyond aerospace and software to build centers of excellence in medicine, global health, e-commerce, logistics, gaming and architecture.

Yet transitions are filled with risk. As we grow, we are increasingly facing big-city problems like crime and traffic. The creative destruction the economy is experiencing today, much of which is the result of new technologies and business models that our local companies are introducing, has made more critical than ever the necessity to retrain workers so they are prepared for the radically different jobs being created.

We also face growing challenges with respect to homelessness, access to health care and education.

Can we respond to all these challenges and still preserve the things that make this region great? The feeling of community, compassion for the less fortunate, concern for the environment, and the ever-present sense of possibility?

I believe we can. And if we do, we will emerge as a region with the power and prosperity of Venice in the 13th century.