Daily Archives: 03/24/2009

(Community Matters) After an early day of work yesterday, I disconnected – literally. Turned off blackberry, telephone and computer at 4:59 and didn’t turn either back on until this morning. Was tempted but instead enjoyed dinner out with Steven, a bit of reading, then conversation with ST out in the pool house. Won’t do this always but do recommend it. Slight draw back is catching up on email, phone calls and texts.

(Community Matters) originally posted May 2008, but it seems to want to be discussed again:

Richard Florida in his new book, Who’s Your City:

America’s psychogeography lines up reasonably well with its economic geography. Greater Chicago is a center for extroverts and also a leading center for sales professionals. The Midwest, long a center for the manufacturing industry, has a prevalence of conscientious types who work well in a structured, rule-driven environment. The South, and particularly the I-75 corridor, where so much Japanese and German car manufacturing is located, is dominated by agreeable and conscientious types who are both dutiful and work well in teams.

The Northeast corridor, including Greater Boston, as well as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Austin, are home to concentrations of open-to-experience types who are drawn to creative endeavor, innovation, and entrepreneurial start-up companies. While it is hard to identify which came first – was it an initial concentration of personality types that drew industry, or the industry which attracted the personalities? – the overlay is clear.

Understanding regional personality types can add to our understanding of what makes regional development tick. Economists argue that technology (in the form of great universities and high-tech company clusters) and human capital (talented people) drive economic growth. But psychologists would add that in addition to skills, talent, motivation, and resources, there are personality traits and psychological capital that predispose people toward certain talents and proclivities.

Article here

Richard’s the author of two bestsellers, The Rise of the Creative Class and The Flight of the Creative Class. Steven and I got to know Richard during the 360 Summits. In fact, one of Steven’s monologues is included in The Rise of the Creative Class. Richard and his wife, Rana, now live in Washington, D.C.

Hat Tip: Andrew

(Community Matters) Read ABJ headline and wondered, hmm, do I believe these numbers. At first look – up in February from January ’09, thought, well duh! Then read, also up from February ’08 on the West Coast – this possibly something to crow about. Would have to dice and slice to understand better.

Nevertheless, the article made me think of a friend in another state who has been sitting on substantial dollars waiting to buy his first home. Never could pull the trigger during last five years because the market made no sense. Rates at our generation’s lowest ever and prices have dropped – in some places a lot. Not sure how much demand is in this backlog but a welcome uptick nonetheless.

(Community Matters)

At a time when daily newspapers seem to be going away at the rate of one a week and weeklies are madly cutting to stay afloat, The Chronicle, which has revenue of approximately $8.5 million a year, has not laid off anyone, has no plans to do so, and its business is off just 7 percent in the last three years.

(Community Matters)“Even America’s most robust big state is suffering” Article notes that Texas fairing better than most of country, and that the recession is catching up here. Notes that a trade publication recently ranked America’s healthiest housing markets with the top five all being Texas urban communities.