Although all of our cool communities are among the top 221 most-populated cities in the U.S., size is not a direct indicator of a community's coolness. In fact, to some extent size kills cool. Yup, LA is cool, but when too many people move there, rush hour is officially All Day Long. Coolness begins to choke in its own smog.
Young talent say that walkable communities are cool. Quaint, local retail and sidewalk cafes are cool. The principles of New Urbanism are alive and well for young talent. Bland suburbs are not cool to young talent. Lively downtowns are.
The same principles apply to Corporations. Working in large, "big box" orgs is increasingly UNcool for young talent. That's probably why 4 out of 5 new businesses are being started by X'ers. X'ers start new businesses for the same reasons women and minorities do: the pale, stale, and largely male obsession with size chokes their creativity and contributions.
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