The Purpose-Driven City

Terry Rock, President and CEO of Calgary Arts Development

Interview by Rachel Singh

Striving to be “world-class” is not good enough for Terry Rock, Calgary’s leading booster for arts and culture. To really make great things happen in the province, Albertans should aim to create cities “for the world.” He argues that if we truly embrace this way of thinking and use it as an ethical framework to guide the way we do business, our economic and social infrastructure will create lasting legacies.

What’s your idea for Think?
Terry Rock: For people in influential positions in Alberta to make a simple but powerful shift in how they frame their vision for our province and our cities. Instead of trying to be the most/best (whatever) in the world, strive to be the most/best (whatever) for the world.

What is “for the world” thinking?
TR: In 2005, I went to a Creative Spaces and Places conference in Toronto. There, Charles Landry, an author and researcher on creative cities, opened with a challenge to the group to come up with an ethical framework for the work people like me do. The head of KaosPilot business school [in Denmark] spoke and said that their school changed their mission from being the best B-school in the world to the best B-school for the world. I immediately thought, “That’s my ethical framework!” Since that conference, which was early in the life of Calgary Arts Development, the implications of “for the world” thinking has been front and centre as we’ve built our team.

What’s the difference between world-class and “for the world”?
TR: What if Calgary’s vision was to be the most innovative and entrepreneurial city for the world? Cities are systems with inputs, outputs, resources and processes. Calgary is tremendously blessed with wealth, education, youth, entrepreneurial spirit and high aspirations. Calgary is not a stand-on-the-sidelines kind of place. When we set our minds to it, things happen in this city. More than that, anyone who has something to offer can make things happen. Want to make big change in environmental policy? Some of the best in the world are working on those issues in Calgary. Want to be on the leading edge of cancer treatment and prevention? There’s a place for you in Calgary. Want to push boundaries in the arts? Welcome to Calgary! In other words, a world-class city should be where great things happen. The benchmark isn’t about being the best; it is instead whether or not we are living up to our own potential, a much higher standard.

Any current projects that exemplify being “for the world”?
TR: Two come to mind quickly: the Light Up the World Foundation and the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology. Both use technologies that were developed by university professors in Calgary to meet fundamental human needs around the world. In the arts, I see the recent Joni Mitchell/Alberta Ballet collaboration as an example of work that has global significance and resonance. I’m sure there are similar things happening in the energy/environment area and medicine [as well].

You’ve applied this to your business model at Calgary Arts Development?
TR: [Yes.] We’ve used “city for the world” thinking to reshape our vision and as a guiding framework for some major program design and creation. It’s resulted in our vision for Calgary being a culturally vibrant city that inspires and engages the world. This vision is about more than simply building an impressive collection of facilities or striving to be the home of extraordinary artistic output; it also gives us direction to be as inclusive as possible in the work we undertake.
As a result, we’re developing an umbrella initiative called “Lead with Culture” to engage civic leaders, across sectors, as we take steps to increase the prominence of the arts as a foundation for the next phase of the development of our city. We will struggle to become a city for the world if we don’t have a healthy arts scene to provoke us, ground us and, ultimately, help us figure out who we are as a community.

How can Albertans get involved?
TR: I would encourage leaders in the private and public sector to apply the “for the world” lens to their current vision/mission statements. We’ve found it to be a source of inspiration with very practical implications for the design of our business. To be clear, this isn’t about being more charitable. It is about finding the line from your enterprise, whatever it is, to the true potential of that enterprise to make a contribution with long-lasting and wide-ranging benefits.

Want to learn more? Listen to The Purpose-Driven City Podcast now.

If you’ve got an idea on how to build a lasting legacy for Alberta and want to join the conversation, leave your comments now, send details to feedback@albertaventure.com or visit the Think! A New Idea for Alberta website to participate.

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