Carol Coletta, host of Smart City Radio, recently asked us some great questions about the future of communities.
Carol: What assets must be present for a city to become competitive in the next 15 years?
Rebecca: Amenities for young talent must be present, especially green spaces including outdoor parks, trails and recreation areas AND third spaces like coffee houses and incubators where ideas and caffeine collide! Innovation is the key to future growth, so we have to create places within our communities for those things to occur.
Carol: What issues should cities be working on that they're not?
Rebecca: We tell our audiences that traditional "shirt and tie" economic development - luring companies with tax breaks, and the typical sewer-and-streets talk – is becoming less important to high performing organizations. Communities that can attract great talent will become magnets to great companies. There's a new "Live First, Work Second" ethic among young talent. Talent want to live in - or near - cool communities with great amenities. Smart cities will invest in amenities to differentiate themselves from other communities.
Carol: If there is one quality that underlies all that a smart city is, what is it?
Rebecca: Smart cities are first and foremost for PEOPLE, not cars, office buildings or shopping districts. Too often, I see communities built around parking lots and highways, which totally misses the strong pedestrian sensibility that is a hallmark of a Cool Community.
Carol: If you were in charge of a "second-tier" city, what would be the first thing that you would do to move it toward becoming a "first-tier" city?
Rebecca: I would ensure that its historic places were protected, and their architectural integrity preserved. Past is prologue. Second tier cities will become the next Talent Capitals to the extent that they use their history to build their future. Young talent crave authentic spaces, historic spaces.
Carol: What will be the most influential force shaping cities for the next 15 years?
Rebecca: Talent. By 2006, two employees will leave the workforce for every one entering. By 2008, we'll have a shortage of 10 M workers. Businesses of all stripes are saying, "We'll go where the talent is!" The market forces for talent will redirect community development around talent attraction and retention.
Carol: How will success be measured for a smart city of the next 15 years?
Rebecca: I think Smart Cities will be measured by our 7 indexes: Earning; Learning; Vitality; Social Capital; After Hours; Around Town; Cost of Lifestyle.
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