Buttigieg: Conference ‘Extraordinary Opportunity’

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg will be attending this weekend's U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting along with several others from Indiana.

As some 300 mayors converge on Indianapolis for the United States Conference of Mayors annual meeting, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg says the event offers Indiana the opportunity to show off on a big stage. The conference kicks off Friday, will run through Monday and feature big names like Hillary Clinton, the Dalai Lama and Lady Gaga. Meetings and seminars will cover topics including health care, the economy and governmental policies.

Buttigieg tells Inside INdiana Business his city and others throughout the country are experiencing a paradigm shift when it comes to economic development efforts. "It used to be we only thought about the factories and companies. What we’ve realized over time is companies are made of people, so when they’re deciding where to grow, where to stay or where to move, they’re going to decide largely based on quality of place. Is this the kind of community where my colleagues will want to live, where I’ll be able to find a healthy, happy work force?" He says it is now imperative to step up and make the community what draws people in. He says details ranging from arts and culture to the "build environment" and infrastructure play a role.

The national organization says people living in cities and metropolitan areas make up more than 85 percent of the country’s population. During the weekend, an economic forecast for all 363 metro areas in the U.S. will be released.