For more than a year, members of the Mayor’s Opportunity Council on Prosperity have studied the reasons why Spokane’s poverty rate is so high; one in eight Spokane County residents live at or below the federal poverty level. One in five county households make less than $12,000 per year. A quarter of the county’s youngest children are growing up in poverty. A new report suggests that a family of four needs at least $2241 per month to fill basic needs.
Download the Facing Spokane Poverty report

The summit was designed to bring together community members and leaders, working together on a blueprint for fighting poverty – concrete goals that can improve the region’s prosperity over the next few decades.

Bill McDonough suggested several ideas for the Spokane area's development, including constructing high-tech, eco-friendly windmills at the Kaiser plant. The audio of his entire speech is on the web.

Planners hoped that 300 people would want to participate. The final delegate count reached 367, and several other people came to observe, some making suggestions to the delegates.

Participants started the morning becoming acquainted with one another. Afterward the delegates played a game in which different situations, good and bad, either added to or subtracted from their resources. The idea was to show just how fickle life often can be.

Keynote speaker Bill McDonough said that designing the future requires creativity and a belief that anyone can do anything. The architect has worked with a number of cities around the world – and with major industries, to design sustainable and environmentally friendly structures. He recently won a design contract for north bank project in Spokane’s Riverfront Park.

Participants split up into groups to brainstorm solutions to particular problems such as transportation and social services. This group chose priorities with a show of hands.

“The sooner you innovate, the better," said McDonough. "And this is why cynics have to get down from their cynical position, because what you have to do is use whatever you have left of your momentum to reinvent yourself now. And then do it again, and do it again. Because by the time you pick it up, if you’re on the downhill slope, it’s too late.”

Summit delegates then spent the afternoon actually creating a design for the new Spokane.

Spokane Public Radio spent the day at the One Spokane summit. KSFC and KWRS (Whitworth 90.3 North Spokane) broadcast live from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. KPBX spent the noon hour on May 29 and 30 focusing on the forum.

The City of Spokane has posted the opening event on its web site.