By now you all know I’m a fan of the Smart City radio show (via podcast). I really enjoyed last week’s episode for all of its segments.
- The first guest was Louis Glazer, an economic development professional from Michigan who pointed out that you can no longer have a high prosperity economy based on factories. If Detroit can get that idea, surely here in Oregon we can figure out that it’s all about innovation. He has also analyzed the most prosperous regions in the country and concluded that healthy economies correlate more with culture than with economic policy. Key cultural attributes include:
- Culture of Learning
- Entreprenurial
- Welcoming to All
I think Portland does reasonably well, but we better not take the learning thing for granted.
- He also has opinions about what elements of infrastructure will be most critical:
- Bandwidth
- International Airports
- Green Infrastructure (recreational opportunities)
Hmmm… nothing about roads.
- A segment on the success of the Dallas Light Rail system
- A design consultancy in Pittsburgh has come up with an interesting take on displaying bus schedules
- Finally a commentary about cynicism, satire and civility.