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September 10, 2004
The modern office park?
The people in the image are the employees of a company in the UK's Cambridge, just north of London. Seems to be no rush to get home...
The current workforce generation is fed up with the 12-hour work day - essentially leaving for work at 7 am and getting home at 7 pm because of traffic. Smart companies like Patagonia are quickly realizing this and locating offices in the downtown where convenient access to mass transit can literally shorten the work day, while immersed in an entertainment and leisure scene that can lengthen the nightlife experience.
Also, with an emphasis on creating truly wonderful places to be in, employers will find their employees staying at the workplace longer, even inviting their friends and spouses to the workplace after hours! Of course, it helps to have a place like in the picture above. Just as important for employers, they'll find more talent willing to work for them without crippling salary demands.
Image source: Nicely Toasted
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
September 9, 2004
First two CoolTown tour stops: Cambridge MA and Madison WI
Next week CoolTown Studios tour will be documenting Cambridge, MA, and how it became the 23rd largest economy in the world, followed by Madison, Wisconsin, the most creative medium-sized town on the creativity index.
The prelimary word on Cambridge is that it is now suffering from its own success, as the immense popularity of the places has caused skyrocketing rents, rents that only retired executives and national chains can afford. Nonetheless, it has spawned new creative pockets, and we'll find them for you.
The essence of Madison has been described as in the image above - having a beer* with friends at The Terrace on a lazy Saturday evening overlooking the sailboats on the lake as the sun sets amid a cool fall breeze. We'll fill you in after we experience it for ourselves.
*or non-alcoholic drink of choice
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
September 8, 2004
2000 steps to health?
That's the magic number according to Dr. James Hill, keynote speaker at the Obesity and the Built Environment conference, organized by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
He recommends taking an extra 2000 steps a day (measured with a simple $10 pedometer) as a necessary goal in maintaining one's health. Unfortunately, most of our communities are auto-oriented rather than pedestrian-oriented, which is known to explain why 64.5% of Americans are overweight. Fortunately, the CoolTown trend is helping to reverse this correlation.
Dr. Hill's vision in motion is expressed in detail through the program America on the Move, a nonprofit organization that
he cofounded.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
September 7, 2004
The 5-town CoolTown tour
Over the next five weeks, CoolTown Studios will be visiting five of the coolest towns in the North and Midwest in order to help shape the vision of future towns in the same area. Which ones should they be?
Cambridge, Massachusetts - The 23rd largest economy in the world and host to Harvard and MIT, this direct neighbor to Boston has long been a mecca of nightlife, culture and entrepreneurship.
Athens, Georgia - The near legendary destination often described as the ultimate college town.
Madison, Wisconsin An annual contender for the #1 spot in "best place to live" in various magazines, and one of the most walkable towns in the U.S.
Burlington, Vermont The best college town under 50,000 people? Is it a coincidence that national successes like Ben & Jerry's and Phish come from such a tiny locale?
Ann Arbor, Michigan - Home to Univ. of Michigan, and often referred to as one of the top college towns in the country.
Here are more:
Boulder, Colorado? Topping the list of Business 2.0's Next Small Town Boomtown, Boulder is an outdoor recreation and nightlife mecca.
Austin, Texas
Seattle, Washington
Greenwich Village NY
Charlottesville, Virginia
Chapel Hill NC
Iowa City (and Fairfield) Iowa
Ft Collins, Colorado
Click here to vote and comment. The polling system requires registering first (just once!)
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
