Alhambra has always sat at the intersection of regional and global. Over a century ago, it was a powerhouse in citrus production, shipping fruits to markets around the country. In the mid 20th century, it had one of the nation’s premier engineering and construction firms: C.F. Braun. Today the city continues to be home to numerous entrepreneurial immigrant families, and is known as the “Gateway to the San Gabriel Valley.” But recent events in global trade — namely the chaotic and unpredictable imposition of massive tariffs and the apparent rising trade war with China — will no doubt bring significant challenges to Alhambra and the broader LA region.
In recent months, the city has been engaging in a broad discussion around making itself more sustainable as part of its Comprehensive Environmental Sustainability Plan. Topics include green spaces, water use and reclamation, transportation and mobility, energy generation and conservation, and sustainable economic growth. The plan rightly recognizes how interconnected these elements are.
I would argue that economic sustainability means resiliency.
What is Resiliency?
Urban thinker Jane Jacobs likened cities to ecosystems. In resilient systems, feedback loops help the system adapt to change. In rigid, non-resilient systems, feedback is ignored, leading to collapse.
In The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jacobs argued for mixed uses and greater density — residential, retail, and commercial — on city streets. This mix fosters activity throughout the day, enhances public safety through “eyes on the street,” promotes social cohesion, and improves infrastructure efficiency. She also emphasized the importance of a variety of buildings. “New ideas need old buildings,” she famously wrote, noting that older buildings offer more affordable space for startups and small businesses. Cities with a diversity of locally owned enterprises are more economically resilient than those dominated by a single industry or larger companies with absentee owners.
In Cities and the Wealth of Nations, Jacobs also championed the idea of “import replacement” – city regions generating more of what they consume locally. This strengthens local employment, innovation, and markets, while keeping capital circulating within the community. Her work has inspired others, such as Michael Shuman, who outlines practical strategies for building resilient local economies in his book Going Local; Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age.
Strategies for Local Economic Resiliency
From these and others, cities have a wide range of tools to strengthen their economic resiliency. Here are a few:
“Community Corporations”: These are locally owned businesses that rely on sustainable local resources, employ local workers at decent wages, and serve local consumers. At the time of its founding, Alhambra had a felt company that could be called a community corporation in the sense that it was ahead of its time in providing fair wages and a security net for its workers. Named after its founder Alfred Dolge, the workers actually created a small town called Dolgeville, which eventually joined Alhambra. Today, many Alhambra family-owned food businesses might be considered community corporations too. The city could promote these businesses by issuing certificates or badges to such businesses that meet certain criteria.
Networks of Support: Once these businesses are identified, larger or more established community corporations can assist smaller ones through purchasing, credit lines, mentoring, or shared services.
Community Banking: Community banks collect deposits from local residents and reinvest those funds into local businesses. This keeps profits (in the form of interest) circulating within the community. Recent decades have seen consolidation into larger national banks, but some community banks remain and should be promoted as vital local anchors. Branches of national banks can also be encouraged to invest locally, and then celebrated when they do.
Local Asset Mapping: Cities can inventory and activate the unique skill sets of different groups in the community. As Shuman elegantly puts it: the “inventiveness of the young; the forgotten skills of retirees; the lively minds of the physically disabled; the survival instincts of welfare mothers and the homeless; and the unmarketed talents of local artists.”
Local Currency: Imagine a currency called the “Alhambra Hour,” earned by contributing time or producing goods, and redeemable at participating local businesses. Every hour of time spent by anyone (regardless of their trade) in a participating transaction gives them one “Hour” unit that can be used in a future participating transaction. This wouldn’t replace the dollar, but it could encourage local transactions, unlock savings, and deepen community trust. Businesses with high “Hour” balances would likely attract more local spending.
Local Agriculture: We can support small-scale food systems — like home gardens, community gardens, and shared kitchens — to grow and distribute food locally and keep food dollars circulating locally. Alhambra should be well suited to this, owing to its fertile soil, numerous single-family lots with yards, and numerous family owned restaurants.
Local Energy and Water Systems: Rooftop solar, battery storage, and shared power grids could help Alhambra generate and manage its own energy. Likewise, increasing local water capture helps replenish groundwater supplies (which form Alhambra’s primary source of water) and reduce reliance on external sources.
Zoning Reform: Adjusting zoning and permitting to allow mixed uses and strategic higher density zones, and to encourage pop-up businesses, could create lower-barrier entry points for entrepreneurs to test ideas without expensive renovations or lengthy approvals.
These are just a few starting points. There are many more.
Alhambra’s Dual Identity: Global and Local
Alhambra will continue to thrive based on its connections to the broader region to global immigration and trade. But we shouldn’t overlook opportunities to make the city more resilient through having a strong local economy by contributing more to the city’s and our region’s daily needs in food, energy, water, housing, clothing, and key services. And that work starts right here, on the ground, regardless of what chaos may unfold at higher levels of government. What can you do to support local economic resiliency?
