More on Downtown Development

From the New York Times:

Mobile but not flighty, fresh but technologically savvy, “the young and restless,” as demographers call them, are at their most desirable age, particularly because their chances of relocating drop precipitously when they turn 35. Cities that do not attract them now will be hurting in a decade.

Interesting nuggets about what makes a city, or a region, attractive to "the next generation." I suggest that emphasis upon elementary to high school competencies would pretty well fit out the beginnings of a "complete" basis for strategy.

Solar Energy + Manufacturing (From the Washington Post)

This "Solar Energy" story is another take on the "not dead yet" aspects of the United States manufacturing capabilities from the Washington Post (as reported by the St. Louis Post Dispatch).

About a month ago, I had advocated understanding "core competencies" - such as making complex shapes from sheet metal - as a *better* way to think about how the (local) economy can be reinvented from extant resources. The listener took it as a criticism.... bang head here.

Long Tails, Fortunes and Pyramids

Both of these books provide well-articulated frameworks for "how to think about problems."


The Long Tail - good summary of how the networked economy changes aspects of marketing, inventory, and reach. Highly recommended, pretty quick read with little slogging. I'm starting my second pass on it today.

The Fortune At The Bottom Of The Pyramid - Valuable collection of case studies and derived principles. Among other things, it has me thinking about reverse engineering offshore innovations to bring back to the states. Wonky but worth it.

NY Times On Venture Ecosystem

It Pays to Have Pals in Silicon Valley examines the aspects of personal networks.... persistent personal networks.... pervasive persistent personal networks. NY Times registration will be needed.

I keep seeing people praying to buildings rather than listening to markets and customers.... Didn't bad things happen to old civilizations obsessed with buildings rather than substance?

This amends the "Silicon Valley" piece a while back on venture capital.