Can a town designed by and for creatives, gen xers/yers and knowledge workers be any good for kids?  Actually, very much so.  Not only is this audience ready to have kids on their own, they were kids themselves not too long ago, and the following guidelines for children can apply to them as well.

Given a fair start, kids above all need to be able to freely explore their environment and learn how to spontaneously relate to other people of all ages in order to develop happily and healthily, according to child psychologist and author of The Forgotten Child: Cities for the Well-Being of Children, Henry Lennard, who has studied children and their surroundings all over the word.  His current work is focused on making cities more livable through pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use development and compelling public places and amenities.

A 2002 European Commission report, Kids on the Move states,
“all too often, our towns and cities seem to have been designed without any regard for children and young people. Public spaces and modes of transport - devised by healthy adults for, at best, other healthy adults - neglect the needs of children just as they neglect the needs of other ‘minorities’. This poses a threat to children’s independence and has a serious effect on their development and well-being.“

It seems like this is catching on.  Walk through city streets and you’ll see more and more kids each time, even if it’s just for the day.

If you’ve been tracking the local vs. national retail economic impact numbers, you may want to know just how to bring in the best local retailers that outshine even the top-performing nationals.

You need to start with the best talent...and they can be found with the right talent agents.  Here are a few that these progressive CoolTown investors are looking to form a collaborative work team with:

National Main Street Center:  No organization is more involved in revitalizing main streets, nor does anyone have a larger network of future retail entrepreneurs to find talent in.

Michael Shuman:  He wrote the book on growing local businesses, literally: Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age

EntreWorks Consulting:  Focused on the fast-growth trend of entrepreneurial economic development, this firm builds entrepreneurial communities that prosper from collaborating its assets.

Finally, a “casting director” from a firm that specializes in building main streets of local-only retailers.

How does this all come together?  That story is outlined, but yet to be published.

Target is easily the department store of choice by urbanites and creatives (who endearingly pronounce it tar-ZHAY) simply because it combines two of their favorite qualities - affordability and classy talent-over-big-name design.

Still, if such a national chain is still sending most of a community’s dollars out of town, is there any viable alternative?

How about a department store that stocked what you wanted, say, because you owned it?

Residents of Plentywood, Montana did just that - establishing a 10,000 sf community-owned store where residents bought 18 shares in the venture for $10,000 a piece. (Many single shares are owned by groups of five or six people.)

It inspired nearby residents of Malta, Montana to open their own department store, selling shares for $500.  It’s not only been profitable, but it actually anchors the downtown.
                                         
Organizers in Powell, WY did likewise and has turned a profit, avoided debt, includes a board of directors made up of local merchants, and a manager who is a veteran retail buyer.

Two more are underway in the area.

Residents in Plentywood refer to their store as “our store” - not “the store” or “that store.“  Where’s “our store” in our town?

Image: How about a department store that featured locally-made clothes inspired by designs from around the world?

The next generation of music buyers won’t be shopping at Wal-mart and Best Buy, they’ll be visiting their local music store or staying at home.

Local music stores
What if you could walk into your local neighborhood music store and listen to the hottest new local area artists - live?  What if that music store turned into a live band juke box?  That’s the idea behind the fast-growing trend of independent music alliances, typically about 30-40 non-competing small music stores, with the first being the Coalition for Independent Music Stores.  Record labels pay the stores to promote new talent to specific audiences, which is important because…

Digital music stores
More and more music is downloaded every month, purchased or not.  The main reason most music is downloaded illegally is because music lovers don’t have the option to buy music digitally.  Pioneers like the Apple Music Store will change that.  What this means is that music buyers will find it superior (and cheaper) to buy songs online rather than at national chains, but still visit local stores to get live and direct info on new music and artists.  By the same token, you should be able to vote online for the kinds of bands you want to hear live at your local music store, just the same way people are voting by the millions for the next American Idol.

By the way, Amoeba Music in San Francisco is a great example of a CoolTown music store.

Would you believe that’s a city campaign slogan?  Excelsior, Minnesota.

“We’re just against the proliferation of sameness,“ said Linda Murrell, the city’s Chamber of Commerce director.  Not surprisingly, the first ads were geared to a younger audience.  Also, downtown Excelsior activity is reported to have increased noticeably as several entrepreneurs are now interested in locating there.

Sure, you say, but Excelsior is a town of only 3000 people. Read on…

Buoyed by strong resident support, San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Matt Gonzalez has proposed “tripwire” legislation that would require notification of residents living within 150 feet of any proposed new “formula” business at least a month before a building permit could be issued. Starbucks was specifically singled out.

I’ve personally lived in San Francisco - I can see this happening… residents burned down a Burger King after it moved in over their opposition.

As for my current neighborhood, Starbucks only moved in for the first time a couple of months ago, but that was only after numerous independent businesses failed at the cursed spot on 18th and Columbia in Adams Morgan, DC.  Local merchants had their chance.  Still, Starbucks shouldn’t charge $6/hr. for wireless internet that the nearby (and much cooler and more popular) Tryst offers for free (and it just about costs them that much as well).

Put it this way, how uncool would it be if the cast of Friends met up at Starbucks instead of the Central Perk? (image above)

If you believe that what goes around comes around, you may think twice about shopping at a big box.  A CoolTown’s ‘coolness’ stems from being expressive of the people who live, work, play and employ there, not from a corporation on the other side of the country looking to mass produce its product.

A recent study tracked eight locally owned businesses and a major big box retailer in Maine.  The results:

Revenue spent within the state:
Local businesses: 53.3% (44.6% spent within the immediate area)
National chain: 16.1%

Local revenue lost if national chains captured all retail growth in next four years:
$23 million

Percentage of revenue spent on charities/community programs
Local businesses: 0.4%
Walmart: 0.1%

A similar study in Austin had the following results:

Local economic return from $100 spending
Local businesses: $45
National chain: $13

Local economy revenue gain if just $100/household was redirected to local businesses:
$10 million

Continuing this week’s focus on the CoolTown Program...

Phase II:  Building the Physical Community

Successful talent attraction comes down to providing three key elements:  Entertainment, jobs and affordability, in that order.  Fulfilling just one, or even two elements won’t make it happen.  All three must be brought together, and that requires building a CoolTown.

Why is entertainment (& arts) first?  Most young professionals won’t take a dream job if it were in a small farm town, while the exorbitant rents of Manhattan and San Francisco don’t stop dreamy-eyed actors and drifters from becoming permanent residents.  Besides, they subconsciously know that jobs follow entertainment (e.g. dating opportunities, nightlife, music, recreation) because companies follow talent.  Affordability is the secret ingredient that unbuckles the restraints on unparalleled economic growth.

1. Entertainment!
As we evolve from a service economy to an experience economy, entertainment with the arts becomes the unique selling point, from the dynamic (night-life, music, recreation) to the mundane (residence, workplace).  Today’s creatives expect more than a home and job, they want a neighborhood experience and a workplace performance.  This 24-hour arts & entertainment experience (Experience A&E) in one’s daily home and work life is the secret driving force behind the traditional night/weekend scene that baby boomers associate with A&E.  See the program for implementation principles.

2. Jobs!
Work knows cool.  Corporate workplaces are moving back to the city, office parks are reporting high vacancies and 47 million people telework to some degree.  There are 33 million “free agents” in the workforce today, and among them are the next Bill Gates and Steve Jobs that can attract both creativity and economic prosperity to your city.  See the program for implementation principles.

3. Affordability!
A Builder Magazine survey concluded that Gen Xers/Yers can’t spend more than $150,000 for a home.  Creatives and entrepreneurs have similar budgets.  It also stated that the demand overwhelmingly exceeds the supply in reaching this price point in the inner city, where the best entertainment is.  Creatives prioritize smaller places with low maintenance, will move into riskier areas to save rent, and actually prefer not owning a car if jobs/amenities are convenient (e.g. NY, SF).  Car debt subtracts about $50,000 from the amount of a home one can quality for.  See the program for implementation principles.

Continuing this week’s focus on the CoolTown Program...

OK, we’re committed to becoming a CoolTown.  What are the next steps?

Phase I:  Building the Human Community

The first phase is building the community of people that are not only going to lead the effort of becoming a CoolTown, but who will actually live, work and grow new businesses there.  This CoolTown Market Creation program envisions a five-step process:

1. The CoolTown 100 - We’ll establish a collaborative of the most influential entrepreneurial creatives; the CoolTown 100 (example), a local and national group of visionary business, civic and academic leaders.  The group will craft a clear vision focusing on enhancing local industry and cultural strengths through a new/revitalized community.

2. The CoolTown Guild - The CoolTown 100 leads a series of interactive market research focus groups to understand the amenities, price points and living/working conditions needed to attract a creative talent base to the new community.  Those who then commit to living and working in the new community become The CoolTown Guild, a local workforce group focused on fulfilling a specific economic development and market vision.

3. Let�s Build It! Action Plan � In conjunction with existing privaet and institutional investment partners, the CoolTown Guild and 100 work together to prepare a concise road map that highlights the specific actions to build the CoolTown and its local economy:  land control, development team, capital/financing plan, technology, culture and public policy.

4. The CoolTown Planning Charrette -  The Guild represents the economic and residential market in a master-plan charrette (an intensive week-long exercise where the entire town is planned) hosted by the City and the development team, taking a direct role in planning their own community and economic future.

5. Keeping It Cool � The Guild stays on as the �business improvement group”, a self-financed local collaborative to ensure the right tenants, programs and services are in place to maintain the town as a creative destination.

Continuing this week’s focus on the CoolTown Program...

Do businesses believe in CoolTowns?  Absolutely, as long as CoolTowns attract creative talent.  The world’s largest companies understand this: 

“Keep your tax incentives and highway interchanges, we will go where the highly-skilled people are” - Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina in a presentation to the National Governors Association in 2002.  It shouldn’t be a coincidence that HP’s slogan is “Invent”, nor that HP has a tech-oriented cooltown program of their own.

- Smaller companies do as well:  Charles Brewer, founder of Mindspring/Earthlink, desperately sought a CoolTown to relocate his 3000 employees before he had to settle for an office park.

- Finally, entrepreneurs, free agents, and small business owners seek creative places above all else, for they are the creative class.

OK, we’re committed to becoming a CoolTown.  What are the next steps?

Continuing this week’s focus on the CoolTown Program...

Why isn’t my city attracting growth, excitement and prosperity like Austin?

Does your city produce and retain talent?  Major universities produce talent.  A creative city retains it.  The tipping point to prosperity occurs when the two combine to form a formidable one-two punch:

1. Talent-Producing Universities
The SF Bay Area has Stanford; Cambridge has Harvard and MI; Austin has the 49,000 student University of Texas and Raleigh-Durham has UNC, Duke and NC State.  All of these universities have partnerships with surrounding employers to help ensure jobs for its graduates, as well as talent for the companies.

2. Talent-Retaining CoolTowns
Say you have a prodigious talent-producing university, but what good is it if the students leave once they graduate, a phenomenon known as brain drain.  It helps to think like a student - even the best job offer isn�t attractive if the town isn�t cool enough; if the dating prospects are less than stellar.

Ground-breaking research ties that cool factor to creativity.  The nationally-respected Richard Florida Creativity Group released evidence that directly ties creativity (creative industries, diversity, patents, high tech) to city-wide economic performance (job and population growth, high-tech growth and changes in per capita income).

Understanding this then begs the question, �How do I attract creativity?�, or in other words, �How do I attract creative people?�  This leads to the title of this program, �How do I make a CoolTown cool?�