Tuesday evening ramblings posted at Pacific Standard magazine.
Theme: How demographic changes are restructuring the global economy with new winners and losers.
Subject Article: "Revenge of the Rust Belt."
Other Links: 1. "Illinois Labor History."
2. "Rust Belt Metro Educational Attainment."
3. "Local Area Unemployment Statistics for Pittsburgh MSA."
4. "Local Area Unemployment Statistics for Phoenix MSA."
5. "More Ascendant Pittsburgh."
6. "Pittsburgh’s “Brain Gain:” A Model for San Antonio?"
Postscript: I wish I had this post up prior to publishing "Portland is Dying." Demographic decline isn't the curse of a few losers. It defines the current post-recession economy. Migration boomtowns such as Phoenix and Portland may be out of luck. People are less mobile. Migrants are returning to Mexico. Robust population growth is increasingly rare. Pittsburgh has dealt with this reality for a few decades, fueling a quiet boom hiding under the pejorative of "shrinking city." I contend that a new economic paradigm was born in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Stuck in Canada
Latest up at Pacific Standard magazine.
Theme: Geographic mobility in Canada.
Subject Article: "The jobs challenge: Canadians don’t want to move out of province."
Other Links: 1. "Americans still move around more than anyone else in the world."
2. "Venture Capital Geography."
3. "Why aren’t Americans moving anymore? Here’s a new theory."
4. "Mesofact Migration."
5. "Turning the migration tide."
Postscript: Related question from the Kauffman Foundation, "But the larger puzzle remains: if freelancing is really on the rise and set to rise further, why has geographic mobility been falling, and will that suppress the expected increase in freelancing?"
I think the answer is simple. Freelancing allows us to stay where we are while working elsewhere. Might job dislocation have something to do with declining geographic mobility?
Theme: Geographic mobility in Canada.
Subject Article: "The jobs challenge: Canadians don’t want to move out of province."
Other Links: 1. "Americans still move around more than anyone else in the world."
2. "Venture Capital Geography."
3. "Why aren’t Americans moving anymore? Here’s a new theory."
4. "Mesofact Migration."
5. "Turning the migration tide."
Postscript: Related question from the Kauffman Foundation, "But the larger puzzle remains: if freelancing is really on the rise and set to rise further, why has geographic mobility been falling, and will that suppress the expected increase in freelancing?"
I think the answer is simple. Freelancing allows us to stay where we are while working elsewhere. Might job dislocation have something to do with declining geographic mobility?
Monday, May 20, 2013
Rural Talent Migration
Sunday morning musings at Pacific Standard magazine.
Theme: Demographic decline in rural America.
Subject Article: "Making a Move Abroad, and Working There, Too."
Other Links: 1. "Nonmetro Population Declines for First Time."
2. "What Happens When Half The World Stops Making Babies."
3. "New Jersey's captive workforce."
4. "Roundup: Kansas Lures Residents to Rural."
5. "One In Two New Rural Neighbors Is Latino."
6. "The gain before the pain: Mexico’s demographic dividend will be short-lived."
7. "Luring Doctors And Lawyers To Rural America."
8. "Going Abroad to Keep Working, Not Retire."
9. "Cuba’s Talent Export Strategy."
Postscript: Through the years, I've noted a lot of policy innovation in rural areas addressing demographic decline. It's a tough nut to crack.I suggest looking at Pittsburgh and the agglomeration of eds and meds.
Theme: Demographic decline in rural America.
Subject Article: "Making a Move Abroad, and Working There, Too."
Other Links: 1. "Nonmetro Population Declines for First Time."
2. "What Happens When Half The World Stops Making Babies."
3. "New Jersey's captive workforce."
4. "Roundup: Kansas Lures Residents to Rural."
5. "One In Two New Rural Neighbors Is Latino."
6. "The gain before the pain: Mexico’s demographic dividend will be short-lived."
7. "Luring Doctors And Lawyers To Rural America."
8. "Going Abroad to Keep Working, Not Retire."
9. "Cuba’s Talent Export Strategy."
Postscript: Through the years, I've noted a lot of policy innovation in rural areas addressing demographic decline. It's a tough nut to crack.I suggest looking at Pittsburgh and the agglomeration of eds and meds.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Gentrification in Buffalo
Latest post up at Pacific Standard magazine.
Theme: Urban geography of the Talent Economy.
Subject Article: "Is Progress Pushing People Out in Buffalo?"
Other Links: 1. "Portland Is Dying."
2. "Sunburn Belt: Legacy Costs Of Sprawl."
3. "Urban Decline in Rust-Belt Cities."
Postscript: The Cleveland Fed uses a term I haven't encountered before, "reverse gentrification." It's normative. Gentrification is good. Reverse gentrification is bad. Are those the only two choices for neighborhoods?
Update: The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland has the commentary back up. I previously linked to a cached version. I've updated the link at Pacific Standard, too.
Theme: Urban geography of the Talent Economy.
Subject Article: "Is Progress Pushing People Out in Buffalo?"
Other Links: 1. "Portland Is Dying."
2. "Sunburn Belt: Legacy Costs Of Sprawl."
3. "Urban Decline in Rust-Belt Cities."
Postscript: The Cleveland Fed uses a term I haven't encountered before, "reverse gentrification." It's normative. Gentrification is good. Reverse gentrification is bad. Are those the only two choices for neighborhoods?
Update: The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland has the commentary back up. I previously linked to a cached version. I've updated the link at Pacific Standard, too.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Portland Is Dying
Latest blog post is up at Pacific Standard magazine.
Theme: Attempting to explain why Portland's labor force dropped by 25,000 people, year-over-year, after years of robust growth.
Subject Article: "Bureau of Labor Unemployment Statistics" for Portland, OR via Annalyn Kurtz.
Other Links: 1. "'Portlandia' Is No Joke: The City 'Where Young People Go To Retire.'"
2. "Seasonally Adjusted (Before 2000: CWIA,Since 2000: BLS) Pittsburgh MSA Labor Force - Monthly January 1970 to September 2012."
3. "Field Of Dreams Portland."
4. "Building Industry Clusters Via Brain Drain."
Postscript: The sensational claim of "x place is dying" stirs up controversy. That is unless we are discussing a Rust Belt city. We intuitively know those places are dying. The contrast between Pittsburgh and Portland is ironic. Concerning the metric of labor force, Portland (not Pittsburgh) is dying.
Theme: Attempting to explain why Portland's labor force dropped by 25,000 people, year-over-year, after years of robust growth.
Subject Article: "Bureau of Labor Unemployment Statistics" for Portland, OR via Annalyn Kurtz.
Other Links: 1. "'Portlandia' Is No Joke: The City 'Where Young People Go To Retire.'"
2. "Seasonally Adjusted (Before 2000: CWIA,Since 2000: BLS) Pittsburgh MSA Labor Force - Monthly January 1970 to September 2012."
3. "Field Of Dreams Portland."
4. "Building Industry Clusters Via Brain Drain."
Postscript: The sensational claim of "x place is dying" stirs up controversy. That is unless we are discussing a Rust Belt city. We intuitively know those places are dying. The contrast between Pittsburgh and Portland is ironic. Concerning the metric of labor force, Portland (not Pittsburgh) is dying.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Geography of Isolation
Link to Pacific Standard magazine blog post.
Theme: Forget density, even educational attainment. Migration is what matters.
Subject Article: "WHAT'S EATING LITTLE PORTUGAL? FORGET AFRICENTRIC SCHOOLS: TORONTO’S PORTUGUESE COMMUNITY HAS THE HIGHEST DROPOUT RATE IN THE CITY."
Other Links: 1. "How Migration Makes the World Brainier."
2. "Naypyidaw-on-Hudson: Isolated capitals are more corrupt."
Postscript: I'm toying with the idea that migration is more important than education. Knowledge transfer makes the world go round. Innovation is a function of geographic mobility.
Theme: Forget density, even educational attainment. Migration is what matters.
Subject Article: "WHAT'S EATING LITTLE PORTUGAL? FORGET AFRICENTRIC SCHOOLS: TORONTO’S PORTUGUESE COMMUNITY HAS THE HIGHEST DROPOUT RATE IN THE CITY."
Other Links: 1. "How Migration Makes the World Brainier."
2. "Naypyidaw-on-Hudson: Isolated capitals are more corrupt."
Postscript: I'm toying with the idea that migration is more important than education. Knowledge transfer makes the world go round. Innovation is a function of geographic mobility.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Silicon Valley Decline
Latest post up at Pacific Standard magazine.
Theme: As the Innovation Economy diverges, more and more places effectively engage in the war for talent. That's bad news for talent attraction champion Silicon Valley.
Subject Article: "Montreal Is Growing Its Own High-Tech Workers."
Other Links: 1. "International Migration is Projected to Become Primary Driver of U.S. Population Growth for First Time in Nearly Two Centuries."
2. "Shrinking City Myths."
3. "Keep Pittsburgh Weird."
4. "Talent Attraction Crisis."
5. "New Findings: Seasonal Foreign Agricultural Workers Create American Jobs."
6. "The Brain Gain: The Rise of San Antonio’s Talent Economy."
Postscript: The contrast between Portland and Pittsburgh is instructive. For the Innovation Economy, Portland is a winner. It is a magnet for talent. For the Talent Economy, Pittsburgh is a winner. It is a magnet for businesses starved for innovative talent. Talent production is the name to today's game.
Theme: As the Innovation Economy diverges, more and more places effectively engage in the war for talent. That's bad news for talent attraction champion Silicon Valley.
Subject Article: "Montreal Is Growing Its Own High-Tech Workers."
Other Links: 1. "International Migration is Projected to Become Primary Driver of U.S. Population Growth for First Time in Nearly Two Centuries."
2. "Shrinking City Myths."
3. "Keep Pittsburgh Weird."
4. "Talent Attraction Crisis."
5. "New Findings: Seasonal Foreign Agricultural Workers Create American Jobs."
6. "The Brain Gain: The Rise of San Antonio’s Talent Economy."
Postscript: The contrast between Portland and Pittsburgh is instructive. For the Innovation Economy, Portland is a winner. It is a magnet for talent. For the Talent Economy, Pittsburgh is a winner. It is a magnet for businesses starved for innovative talent. Talent production is the name to today's game.
Suburban Chic
Tuesday post for Pacific Standard magazine.
Theme: Suburban brownfields are the new greenfields.
Subject Article: "In Poor Margins of Paris, New Recipe for Success Is Local."
Other Links: 1. "Cleveland's old Slovenian neighborhood eyes a popup revival."
2. "Our Story."
3. "Rust Belt Reboot Has Downtown Cleveland Rocking."
4. "Rust Belt Chic Paris."
Postscript: The "Soft City" has moved from London to the suburbs of Seattle. Whereas the urban environment has been suburbanized. The loss of the romantic Soft City ideal is lamented. If you want the urban frontier, you'll find it in places such as Lakewood.
Theme: Suburban brownfields are the new greenfields.
Subject Article: "In Poor Margins of Paris, New Recipe for Success Is Local."
Other Links: 1. "Cleveland's old Slovenian neighborhood eyes a popup revival."
2. "Our Story."
3. "Rust Belt Reboot Has Downtown Cleveland Rocking."
4. "Rust Belt Chic Paris."
Postscript: The "Soft City" has moved from London to the suburbs of Seattle. Whereas the urban environment has been suburbanized. The loss of the romantic Soft City ideal is lamented. If you want the urban frontier, you'll find it in places such as Lakewood.
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