CityWorks (X)po spotlights Small Cities Movement

People from all over the country and even world are spending the weekend in Roanoke to listen, learn and share ideas about the small cities movement. “The small cities movement is just sort of happening organically across the nation, really across the globe,” Beth Deel, one of the (X)po organizers. CityWorks speaker, Bob Lambert, says this movement is fueled by technology.

 

Basically, smaller cities like Roanoke are now linked up and plugged in, so folks are choosing to live somewhere they love, not just somewhere large.

 

“As our economy shifts form an industrial economy to an information economy it's a lot easier for small businesses to get launched on the internet and allow people to work pretty much anywhere they want to work,” Lambert explained.

 

CityWorks (X)po celebrates this growing trend by inviting 800 groups to Roanoke to start a conversation.

 

The idea came about after some local folks were looking for a festival conference like CityWorks and they couldn't find one, so they thought why not plan it ourselves and bring people to Roanoke.

 

“Basically what we're talking about is building community, about place making, we're talking about projects that are low budget and quick, we're talking about projects that have a large amount of capital, so really its more about the idea and creativity and the connection of the people involved,” said Deel.

 

If you can’t attend, but would like to join the conversation just log on to the CityWorks (X)po facebook page. 

 

www.facebook.com/#!/CityWorksXpo