A Lengthy but Read-Worthy City-Summary Speech

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Some interesting stats, too. Also attached at bottom of post for print/read later.

Presentation to the International Downtown Association’s
2007 Annual Conference
CityOpportunity
By Carol Coletta
It is a real pleasure to be with a group of people who spend every day
making strong, exciting downtowns. In the early 70s, I was hired by
the Mayor of Memphis to begin the on-the-ground job of bringing
media attention and people back to downtown Memphis. If you know
your history, you know that this was just a few short years after
downtown Memphis had been the scene of the assassination of Dr.
Martin King and the ensuing riots. Thirty-three years ago, there were
no discernible trends to point to the revitalization of downtowns
across America. It was, in fact, a lonely business.
But today, things are changing. Trends are pointing in our direction,
and I want to talk about five of those trends this morning that we are
tracking at CEOs for Cities to understand how urban leaders like you
can act quickly to capitalize on them.
The first is what’s happening with young adults today â€" that much
desired demographic we call “young talent.” At CEOs for Cities,
we’ve put a special focus on Talent because we believe it is one of
four City Vitals â€" along with Connections, Distinctiveness and
Innovation â€" that cities have to be really good at to be successful in a
knowledge economy.
You know that today, it is no longer adequate to depend on having an
ample labor force or ample natural resources. To succeed our cities
must have the ability to attract and retain high-skilled, creative
people. Without an adequate supply of talent, businesses simply
cannot afford to locate in a particular market.
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If businesses don’t care about their local communities for any other
way, the talent issue seems to be the one issue that keeps them
connected locally.
And when we talk about talent, we are talking in particular about 25-
34 year olds. They are a critical economic asset.
Why? Because 25-34 year olds are the most currently educated
among us, they are much slower to start families so they have fewer
distractions and can work longer hours.
But the U.S. had nearly four million fewer 25-34 year olds
in 2000 than in 1990. Two-thirds of the top 50 US metro
areas actually lost 25-34 year olds in the last decade.
Now, that’s a problem and here’s why. All the forces that have
been at work since 1970 to expand the college-educated
labor force are now operating in reverse. Boomers are
about to retire. Women now participate in the labor force as men,
after you adjust for child bearing. And colleges and universities
are not building new capacity.
Young talent is hardly locked in place. In fact, this age group is the
most mobile in our society. In 1999, 34 percent of 20 to 29 yearolds
moved and 22 percent of 30 to 34 year-olds moved. So
if cities want to attract a more talented pool of workers, they need to
attract them while they’re young and mobile. (And, btw, the more
educated they are, the more mobile they are.)
You also need to know that 25-34 year-olds are the most
entrepreneurial among us. Entrepreneurship peaks around age 30
and then declines steadily after that
So 25-34 year-olds, especially college-educated 25-34 year-olds are
an exceptionally valuable talent pool.
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How do college-educated 25-34 year-olds make their decisions about
where to live? To find out, CEOs for Cities commissioned Yankelovich
to conduct a national survey of college-educated 25-34 year-olds last
year. And here’s one startling finding: 64% of them told us when
considering a move, first they choose the city where they want to live.
Then they look for a job. Not the other way around, as so much
economic development activity assumes. Women are more likely to
choose the city first, but a majority of men also say they make
decisions similarly.
What do they want in cities? They want their cities clean, green and
safe, they want the opportunity to live the kind of life they want to live,
and they want a place where they can afford to buy the kind of home
they want.
The next tier of attributes they seek in cities focuses more on
aspirations. They look for a city that makes them feel welcome,
offers professional opportunities, has reasonable commute times,
offers access to excellent schools, is a great place to raise children
and is a place they are proud to say they live.
The last tier of attributes they seek in cities includes things like
intellectual capital and talented people, fair taxes, excellent dining
options, has job opportunities for the spouse, is a place they’ve
always dreamed of living, has neighborhood gathering places,
interesting communities and is environmentally responsible.
One more thing we know: Young people are more likely to live in
close-in neighborhoods. In 1980, 25 to 34 year-olds were 10 percent
more likely than other Americans to live in neighborhoods within a 3-
mile radius of the CBD. By 1990, they were 12 percent more likely.
But by 2000, they were 33 percent more likely. (And if you’re
wondering, this is where the cryptic title of this session comes from.)
That pattern holds for 47 of the top 50 metro areas. And the
percentage of young people living in central cities increased in every
one of the top 50 MSAs in the past decade.
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Who was responsible for the remarkable comeback of America’s
central cities since 1990? It’s pretty clear â€" 25-34 year olds.
So the preference of talented young adults for central
cities is a very strong trend.
Trend number two is the preference of people in creative
occupations and jobs in creative industries to locate in
central cities.
First, some background.
The creative and cultural industries are generally defined globally to
include the arts, publishing, broadcasting, architecture,
advertising and design, performing arts, and museums.
They account for 2.2 million jobs in 2004 or 1.9 percent of total
jobs in the U.S.
Just to put the importance of this sector in perspective….that is
almost a million more jobs than the 1.3 million
manufacturing jobs in America making computers and
electronics and 400,000 more than the 1.8 million jobs that
manufacture transportation equipment (cars, planes, trucks,
boats, etc).
And because design, especially, adds value to the products,
services and experiences produced by other industries,
the creative industries have impact far beyond the
immediate jobs they generate.
We’ve all heard of the so-called creative class. The creative class is a
category of people that I would suggest is too broadly defined to be
terribly useful to this discussion. But a much smaller subset -- let’s
call them the “super creatives” â€" architects, writers, artists,
designers, engineers and people in entertainment, sports
and media â€" number more than 4.4 million workers or
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3.4% of all workers in America. And these super creatives are
a useful way to explore this topic. Here’s why…
Of the 4.4 million creative workers, 4 million of them live
in metro areas. In fact, 3.1 million of them live in the top
50 metro areas.
And while 3.4 percent of American workers are in creative
occupations, 3.7 percent of workers in metro areas are in
creative occupations and 3.9 percent of workers in the top
50 metro areas.
Clearly, creative workers demonstrate a preference for
cities.
The same is true for creative industry jobs. Of the 2.2 million jobs
in creative industries, 1.9 million are in metro areas and
1.5 million are in the largest 50 metro areas.
What’s more, creative workers prefer close-in neighborhoods in most
metro areas. For the top 50 metro areas, creative workers are
53% more likely than other workers to choose to live in closein
neighborhoods. [6.5% of creative workers live within 3-mile
radius.] Thirty-five of the 50 largest metros show positive central
preference ratios.
The concentration of creative jobs is almost as great.
In the top 50 metro areas, 41% of all creative jobs are within
three miles of the Central Business District. That
compares to only 17% of total employment in the centers
of metro areas. And creative jobs are more centralized than other
jobs in 49 of the 50 largest metropolitan areas. Overall, creative
jobs are only one-third as likely to be as sprawling as
other jobs. Creative jobs sprawl is less than other jobs in all but
two of the top 50 metro areas.
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So… let’s review…. 25-34 year-olds are 33% more likely than other
Americans to live within a 3 mile radius of the CBD. Creative workers
are 53% more likely than other workers to live within a 3-mile radius
of the CBD. And 41% of creative jobs are located within a 3 mile radius
of the CBD.
These are three extraordinary trends moving in the direction of
downtowns.
Now, I want to mention two other trends that if you understand them
and act on them can be turned to downtown’s advantage.
The first is Kids in Cities. With young adults 33% more likely than
other Americans to live in close-in neighborhoods, cities have an
opportunity they haven’t had in 50 years to keep them as they couple,
marry and have children. Most urban leaders think that’s impossible.
But research we are conducting suggest that it is not.
Urban parents are worried about three things: Safety,
Schools and Space. CEOs for Cities has studied pioneering urban
parents and their pain points and learned that through workarounds
they solve these problems for themselves. They
solve the safety problem with density and eyes of the
street â€" community. They solve the school problem by treating the
city as classroom, using its wealth of resources and its diversity to
supplement the school experience. And they compensate for
their inability to afford more private space by making use
of public space.
Think about that for a minute… and tell me downtown is not the
very best place for people to raise a family. Having done it
myself a long time ago, I have long been convinced that downtown is
a great place to raise a family. But now, it looks like from our
research that we can move a lot of people in this direction if we act
with deep understanding and imagination. You know the weekly
publication, Time Out. Well, New York now has Time Out Kids. It’s a
sign… that market is out there for you if you are smart about it.
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One more trend we should all watch â€" Boomers and their return to
downtown.
My good colleague who heads the research firm Yankelovich, Walker
Smith, and his associate Ann Clurman have written a book that hits
the stores October 2. It’s called Generation Ageless. It is about
the 78 million boomers and how they will live the next part of their
lives.
These 78 mm boomers are repurposing their lives and
committing to new agendas.
They believe in ageless engagement with life that is active,
spirited and exuberant. Maintaining a youthful spirit is the defining
attitude for Boomers. They have no expectations that aging will or
should slow them down. And they are not going to model their older
years after that of their moms and dads. Boomers have a desire to
have an enduring influence in making a difference. And they
have a sense of personal development built on
empowerment and continuous progression.
Boomers feel that passion is what they bring to the things that are
important to them. They believe individuals can make a
difference for a better society and the common good, so
everyone should do his or her “small part to help.” Boomers believe
that there is a critical need for passion, personal responsibility, and
unending involvement to deal with the future.
Now, obviously, 78 million people can’t be monolithic. While they
share important values, they can be segmented into six different
groups, three of which I believe are targets for downtown living:
Maximizers â€" 15% of boomers who want to do as much as
possible and get the most from life. They seek fulfillment by
immersing themselves in everything possible.
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Diss/Contenteds â€" 8% of boomers for whom societal
priorities are highest. They see social problems they would like to fix,
and their sympathies are with the protestors.
Re-activists â€" 15% of boomers who also share social
priorities. They are ready to join campaigns in support of social
causes. They want to get involved while they still can.
Together they make up 38% of boomers. That’s almost 30
million people (which sounds like plenty to me).
Downtown is great for boomers who want to remain independent as
long as possible. As driving becomes less appealing (or more
dangerous), a walkable downtown becomes more appealing. For
people who want a low maintenance, care free life, downtown living
makes sense. For those who want the ability to lock and leave, want a
doorman as gatekeeper and shared assistant, who want to be close
to arts, theatres and restaurants, downtown is the smart choice.
The question is how can you as downtown leaders add value for
boomers? How can you help them get the most out of life â€" fast! â€"
and make downtown their cause? In addition to ease of living, what
cause are you offering them? What involvement are you offering
them? Big opportunity here.
One final trend moving in our favor: The green movement. It’s been
around since the 60s but forces converged last year to kick concern
up to high heat.
Sierra Club membership is up by a third in 4 years. Seventy-seven
percent of Americans now say they worry about the environment a
great deal or a fair amount (and that’s up from 62% in 2004). Public
transit ridership is up around the country. And recycling is up.
CEOs for Cities released a study last month that showed by driving
just 4 miles less per day than average Americans, the people of
Portland, Oregon, are reaping a $2.6 billion “green dividend”
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annually. $2.6 billion! How do Portlanders to drive less than the rest
of us? Three things:
 Containing sprawl with a growth boundary.
 Land use policies that mix uses and incomes.
 Smart investments in transit.
What is the greenest action you can take? Get out of your car. Walk,
ride a bike, skate, take a train or bus. Where can that most easily be
done? In compact, mixed use neighborhoods with lots of
destinations.
Does that sound like your downtown? If it doesn’t, it should. We have
a first-time opportunity to present downtown as a solution to the
desire to live green. Just make sure everything in your downtown
reinforces that message. Are your sidewalks in good repair? Is your
signage pedestrian scaled? Are your streets lively? Are your lights
timed for pedestrians? Do your turning laws favor pedestrians? Do
you have bikeways? Do you have trash containers that make
separation of trash convenient? Do you recycle downtown â€" office
and residential? Do you have street trees in your downtown? Does
your downtown plan make sustainability a central strategy?
You should reinforce the green lifestyle in every way possible.
It’s clear that there are at least five promising trends operating in
downtown’s favor today: the preference for downtown by young
adults, creative workers and creative jobs â€" and the opportunity
downtowns have to hang on to young adults as they start families and
to bring boomers downtown in their next stage of life.
There has never been a better time to be leading the development of
a downtown. Market trends are moving your way for the first time in
50 years. I invite any of you who have an interest in being part of our
work at CEOs for Cities â€" participating with other urban leaders, in
our research, and in our Learning Networks â€" to visit with me during
the conference about how you can get involved.
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