Addressing Minneapolis business leaders last week, Katherine Loflin, lead consultant to the Knight Foundation's Soul of the Community Project, explained the key factors that drive people's attachment to a city and how to lure young professionals.
"These days, those people most likely to drive the growth of a city, namely young people between the ages of 25 and 34, have reprioritized," says Marlys Harris. "Quality of life registers high on their list of necessities. Corporations are finding that increasingly they have to sell talented recruits on the place where they would be relocating as well as the job."
"The young-people-seeking-quality-of-life notion has become the conventional wisdom of chambers of commerce around the country, which are scrambling to figure out what will sell their towns to those hoity-toity Gen X- and Y-ers, not to mention the so-called Millennials," she continues.
Loflin's Soul of the Community Project sought to dig deeper into what makes a community a desirable place to live. "The study looked at several factors that might give people satisfaction, for example, health care, schools, housing, highways, safety and so on," notes Harris. "But three surprising factors outweighed those practical considerations: aesthetics, social offerings and openness."
FULL STORY: What makes people attached to a city?
The Value of Beauty at Bus Stops
While some rail stations get the starchitect treatment, most bus stops fail to offer aesthetic value. One study suggests this is a mistake.
Op-Ed: What Can Be Done About Toronto's Drabness?
After decades of "just-good-enough when it comes to design," now may be the time for Toronto to take steps to upgrade its aesthetics.
Study: How Beauty Is a Boon for Cities
Richard Florida discusses a study finding a range of connections between a city or neighborhood's aesthetic appeal and its economic health.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.
Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.
Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions