There are encouraging signs that Brighton and Hove is poised to make more progress following a decade of development.
Work has just started on the £45 million Jubilee Street scheme, including a new library, in Brighton while only last week city planners approved the £150 million Brighton Station site redevelopment.
But the economy of the city is still fragile and there are few big players in Brighton and Hove. Unemployment remains stubbornly above average. There are large pockets of poverty.
Traffic remains a huge problem and the housing crisis is so great that many organisations are having problems in hiring key workers.
Tonight, business, council and other local leaders meet to discuss a new strategy produced by the Economic Partnership that shows a way forward for the city.
More sites do need to be developed, notably Shoreham Harbour and the King Alfred in Hove. It is also vital that the ugly Brighton Centre is redeveloped and expanded.
Landmark buildings are needed to bring a sense of civic pride to the city and show the same sort of enterprise that gave the resort the piers and the pavilion.
Radical solutions are needed to these problems, such as firms buying their own housing for employees and a rapid transit system for an east-west link.
If just a few of the bold ideas in the strategy reach reality, the city will be a much better place.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article