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June 18, 2004
Wayne State University announces CoolTown plans
Wayne State University press release:
Wayne State University took another significant step in the development of its campus and the redevelopment of Midtown Detroit Wednesday with the selection of developers for four properties on the south perimeter of the university's main campus.
The Woodward location, currently a parking lot adjacent to WSU's University Tower Apartments, will be the signature complex in an area to be known as South University Village, a mixed-use residential and retail community.
The selected developer for two of the largest components is an investment group that CoolTown Studios helped found, The Town Builders Collaborative.
CoolTown Studios will begin assembling a 'beta community' of future residents immediately. Interested? Contact us at the email link on the right.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
June 17, 2004
Evidence piling up for health and CoolTowns
If anecdotal evidence isn't enough for you (ever notice the weight difference in people as you walk in a Walmart in suburbia vs. a main street in the city?... or travel from the city to the suburbs on the subway and see the size of people getting on board increase rather noticeably?)
Well, here's yet more scientific evidence, highlighted on the front page of Monday's Washington Post, and adding to that already being collected in this part of the blog.
- A major University of Maryland study last year found that people who live in the most sprawling counties are the most likely to be overweight.
- University of British Columbia (Lawrence D. Frank) study this month showed that people who live where stores and other businesses within easy walking distance are significantly less likely to be overweight, primarily because they walk more and drive less.
- Federal health officals are helping develop model planning codes to promote walking.
"We drive to everything. We've created the perfect environment for creating obesity." James O. Hill, weight researcher at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
"Having shops and services near where one lives is the best predictor of not being obese." Lawrence D. Frank
"Walking is the most common and readily available physical activity." Andrew L. Dannenberg of the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health.
"We know that we can educate people and motivate them to exercise and that works okay for a short time, but within six months to a year most people are no longer active... with the built environment, if you build it right in the first place, people seem to automatically incorporate activity into their lifestyle, and their weight is controlled as long as they are there." James F. Sallis, director of the Active Living Research Program at San Diego State University
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
June 16, 2004
"Pistons a model worth duplicating"
Houston Chronicle: Pistons a model worth duplicating
Click here to learn what economic gardening did for the Florida Marlins, and what it did for the Detroit Pistons as they won the NBA championship on Tuesday.
"The virtues of teamwork, sacrifice, dedication and determination defeated one of the most glamorous collections of superstars assembled... The Pistons beat a Lakers team with four future Hall of Famers... Pistons guard Mike James - "We call ourselves the misfits. The NBA overlooked us. Everyone said that we're not good enough. But you know what though? We're a family. We hang out together on the road. We love one another. We respect one another like we're brothers. I've never been on a team like this in my life."
The Pistons are an economic development model of how a teamwork-oriented program will attract undeveloped talent (NBA players are free to choose whatever team they want as free agents), and what happens when that talent is developed as a working 'community'. It also helps illustrate how attracting the superstar players (ie the Fortune 500s) isn't always the most effective.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
June 15, 2004
WSJ: Cities Launch Programs To Lure College Graduates
The Wall Street Journal today featured the article Cities Launch Programs To Lure College Graduates: To Combat Brain Drain, Cities Boost Efforts to Court Graduates.
The reason is that only 14 of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. had more 25-34 year olds in 2000 than they did in 1990, according to an analysis by economist Joseph Cortright, who studies regional economies. A Philadelphia study showed that only 29% of non-native college graduates stayed in the area (vs. 86% of natives.) Half of all Greater Boston's graduates leave.
Cleveland, Memphis, Boston and Philadelphia are making concerted efforts to retain this world-class talent, from internship programs to building art spaces to developing lofts. Michigan even has a statewide "Cool Cities" initiative to make neighborhoods more attractive to the creative class.
Affordability is crucial to CoolTowns. Boston, Cleveland and Michigan are all offering affordable housing options. Massachusetts has pending state legislation to provide funding to cities that initiate more affordable housing near town centers.
The article closed with a student quote, "Students are going to go where there's already an established community." That's why CoolTown Studios works to build communities with its future residents from the very beginning.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
June 14, 2004
CoolTowns get green light in Georgia and Detroit!
It's slowly starting to happen - people are gradually getting the opportunity to take part in shaping the kinds of communities they really want to live in.
The small town of LaGrange just signed an agreement with a private sector group, along with a to-be-established CoolTown pre-tenant community to build CoolTown neighborhoods on strategic sites in the city.
Meanwhile, Wayne State University (first mentioned here) has selected The Town Builders Collaborative as the investment/development group with a CoolTown pre-tenant community now being established to redesign and rebuild a key site on its university campus into a CoolTown block.
Much, much more to come...
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
