City Mouse and Country Mouse
In Caught in the Middle, Richard C. Longworth paints a grim picture of the future of the Midwest, what with declining populations, ever-shrinking job markets, and small towns dying on the vine. As Longworth puts it: The rural Midwest, in truth, existed for one era, and that era has passed. It responded to the economic […]
Read MoreGlobal Trends Affecting Downtowns
Denver-based Progressive Urban Management Associates (better known as PUMA) just released their 2014 Global Trends Report and principle Brad Segal’s recently presented their results to the International Downtown Association. For a little perspective I pulled out all the Global Trends reports I had received from PUMA, starting in 2006. It came as no surprise that […]
Read MorePopulation and Growth, Part 2
In Caught in the Middle, Richard C. Longworth paints a grim picture of the future of the Midwest, what with declining populations, ever-shrinking job markets, and small towns dying on the vine. As Longworth puts it, the “rural Midwest, in truth, existed for one era, and that era has passed. It responded to the economic […]
Read MorePopulation Gowth in Columbia
The 2010 Census numbers are out and much is being made of the results, particularly here in Missouri where we’re losing a Congressional seat due to declining population. Out of the state’s 115 counties, only 41 are growing.The other 74–many in northeast Missouri–are shrinking. Boone County is doing fairly well though when it comes to population. Not […]
Read MoreTalent, Place and Opportunity
Did you know that 58% of a city’s success is based on the percentage of the population with a college degree? According to CEOs for Cities, “each additional percentage point improvement in aggregate adult four-year college attainment is associated with a $763 increase in annual per capita income.” With three colleges located in our downtown, Columbia is […]
Read MoreWhere are people moving?
Forbes.com has put together a great map of inbound and outbound migration of cities at:http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/04/migration-moving-wealthy-interactive-counties-map.html?preload=29019. For Columbia’s home county of Boone, it appears as if we have more inbound migration from the surrounding counties and more outbound migration to other areas of the state and the nation. The main weakness with this excellent map is […]
Read MoreHow Cool is Columbia?
Truly cool cities don’t need marketing campaigns—just ask the folks in Austin or Boulder. But what if your city isn’t cool and wants to be? Michigan is trying to answer this question with its Cool Cities campaign, a statewide initiative to spur economic development by making Michigan, well, cooler. What makes a city cool—and how […]
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