I was in Columbus last week, and while I was there I was able to sit down for an hour long conversation with Mayor Michael Coleman. We talked about Columbus' economic out-performance relative to the rest of Ohio, its secret sauce as a city, how it can gain better brand recognition in the market, Rust Belt self-disparagement, the city's bicentennial, the role of Ohio State, and whether the city needs to develop a signature claim to fame - plus more as well. If the audio player below doesn't display, click over to listen on Soundcloud. For … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2014
Checking In On Columbus
Fountain in a park, Victorian Village, Columbus, Ohio.I was in Columbus, Ohio for a couple days last week. I hadn't been there since my late 2010 Columbus Metropolitan Club presentation, and so it was good to get to check in and see how they were doing. I once called Columbus "the new Midwestern star," noting that they were one of those Midwest cities that's doing far better than the region's reputation would suggest. It's been growing at a reasonably rapid clip in both population and jobs, beating the US average significantly, though not … [Read more...]
Are States an Anachronism?
This post originally appeared on July 11, 2011. Obviously states aren't going anywhere anytime soon, but a number of folks have suggested that state's aren't just obsolete, they are downright pernicious in their effects on local economies. One principal exponent of this point of view is Richard Longworth, who has written about it extensively in his book "Caught in the Middle" and elsewhere. Here's what he has to say on the topic: In the global era, states are simply too weak and too divided to provide for the welfare of their … [Read more...]