resident attitudes
« Previous EntriesMaybe meeting expectations makes “cities” happy
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010Richard Florida has a new thought provoking piece on what makes cities happy. Since cities are inanimate and cannot really be happy or sad, he seems to be referring to the aggregate mood of the people.
He and his colleagues look at the positive correlations between happiness and such things as income and having higher education […]
Finally, a city celebrates its successes
Sunday, February 28th, 2010Vancouver frequently receives positive accolades, whether as the world’s most livable city, for its sustainable nature, or as one of the more attractive tourist destinations in North America.
Despite these, or perhaps because of them, local residents and the media tend to focus on the problems the city has: drug wars, homelessness and crime; as well […]
Automotive advertising and newspaper struggles
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009Many city newspapers in North America are struggling. A few months back in a post I suggested it was because they were not covering local topics, instead picking up on non-analytical wire copy and propaganda media releases rather than reporting actual events.
The Global Urbanist has another theory, suggesting in a recent e-mail that newspaper declines […]
Can America be America without sprawl?
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009Spreading out into the suburbs allowed Americans to continue a number of long-standing cultural threads taught to them about their nation’s past. Many Americans may therefore not easily change and relocate to communities of higher density living.
Europeans came to the United States in the 17th through 19th centuries for several reasons. These included wanting to […]
Social media and community engagement
Friday, May 15th, 2009Many popular culture analysts noted the decline of community in the later decades of the 20th century. People seemed to “tune out” and become uninterested in world events, local politics and issues that affected their daily lives. Some blamed television, others the double-income family combined with longer commutes that left little time to connect with […]
Will economic patriotism improve cities
Friday, April 24th, 2009In the United States there is notable talk about how people should be buying American, with some trying to have this enshrined in official policy. Economix this week pondered whether this economic patriotism was uniquely American (I doubt it).
Meanwhile, Richard Florida comments on a “home base” effect that certain brands have. Starbucks peforms best in […]
City politics are where it’s at
Sunday, March 29th, 2009Recently, popular interest in city-based politics and municipal government activity has grown — whether in metro Vancouver (as Frances Bula ponders) or most areas of North America. Meanwhile many city daily newspapers are failing. I think there is a connection.
Cities are becoming the engines of economic growth as the knowledge economy and urban service sectors […]
Cities Losing their Newspapers
Monday, March 16th, 2009San Francisco, Seattle, Denver. Three cities that have — or are about to — lose a daily newspaper. The list may grow as large publishers of many city dailies world wide are in financial difficulty. One thing economic downturns are good at is exposing products, companies or industries that are no longer viable.
So why are […]
Not the time for short term thinking
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009Many smart business leaders and investment managers are taking advantage of the economic slow down to stop, think, and put into place the foundations for the next 5 to 10 year business cycle — and even thinking much further ahead than that.
Unfortunately, it seems that many city governments, and those at other levels that impact […]
Is Costco really a threat to Manhattan?
Sunday, August 24th, 2008 Or is Manhattan more of a threat to Costco?
For years the discount warehouse retailer Costco has been looking for a site in Manhattan. According to the New York Sun, they may have found one. But there is vocal opposition from residents, politicians and even some unions.
Much of the rationale behind opposing it […]