Answer: You can co-design your own.

Regulars to this site are familiar with the beta community process that’s still primarily conceptual, but here’s how it’s currently being implemented by the folks at Kettle Foods:

As the story goes, in Spring 2004, Kettle execs were reminded of the vast opinions by its chips’ fans.  That Summer collected 16,000 official suggestions for what its next flavor should be, as long as it fit the criteria of being all-natural, tasted good, and was sellable. 10,000

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We all pretty much know that wherever the artists go, the risk-averse with the money will soon follow, gentrifying the place and thereby forcing the artists to move out to find the next ‘hot spot.‘ BusinessWeek is the latest to cover this well-known trend, in Bohemian Today, High-Rent Tomorrow.

Here’s their top ten list based on these criteria: Art establishments per 100,000 people, percentage of population age 25-34; Arts & Culture Index; Diversity Index and Cost of Living Index, starting

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The knowledge economy moved on without Youngstown, Ohio, whose heyday was in the midst the steel industry and the industrial economy, peaking in 1962 with a population of 162,000, more than twice today’s 82,000.

Pressed with the question, “Change or die,“ Youngstown’s mayoral candidates were unconsciously choosing death for their city. When local leaders established an initiative, Youngstown 2010 to acknowledge Youngstown’s shrinking population, invest in new economy industries, focus on

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If you live in Baltimore MD, work for one of these companies and buy a home nearby, you’ll be rewarded $2000 via the Baltimore City Live Near Your Work Program.

That’s $1000 from the City, and $1000 from the employer.  The State used to contribute $1000 as well - don’t know what happened to that.  What’s in it for the City?  Less expense on public roads and transit.  What’s in it for the employer?  Happier, more productive employees who don’t waste 1-2 hours a day in traffic, and safer

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They’re back! ...and people are glad to see them again, for the country had a love affair with them before the infamous streetcar funeral pyres in the early 20th century via GM’s relentless agenda to replace them with their buses.  But they’re not back for the reasons people may think - nostalgia.  No siree, for believe it or not, cities are bringing back these lovable people movers because they make economic sense, and a lot of it as well.

Read more in this USA Today article, and check out

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Based on part one of this two-part story, identifying the uneven distribution of extreme entrepreneurship and job growth in a few fortunate places that take advantage of innovation that is ubiquitous and portable, how can cities become more like one of those few fortunate places?

The answer, according to the Council on Competiveness in their comprehensive report, Where America Stands: Entrepreneurship, all of which are adopted by successful regions:

1. Creating Angel Networks. It not only

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Cities are constantly trying to get companies to move to their region, but what about growing their own (aka economic gardening) and supporting you? Here’s some compelling evidence on why that’s an increasingly popular trend:

A recent Small Business Administration study found that the most entrepreneurial regions in the U.S. had:

- 125% more employment growth
- 58% more wage growth
- 109% higher productivity than the least entrepreneurial regions
- spent 54% more on R&D and had 67% more

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Don’t shoot the messenger because I can’t disagree more, but this is one chain-oriented retail consultant’s take on why real estate developers choose chains over independent businesses: small retailers are lazy, will not work evenings and weekends, do not pay their rent on time, whine all the time, blame others for their failures, offer poor service, have low sales, do not update, clean or maintain their store interiors, and thus cannot pay market rate rent, but the exceptions are