Greater City Providence

PBN Interview with Richard Florida

providence-skyline

Ted Nesi has an interview in the PBN with Richard Florida on how Providence may be in a key position to thrive after this recession ends.

Florida argues this recession is a “great reset,” which will change the fundamental nature of the U.S. economy. In short: The Sun Belt is in trouble, but urban areas such as Providence look set to thrive. In an e-mail interview with Providence Business News, Florida discussed his vision of the future, what Providence has done right so far and what risks the city still faces.

You can read Ted’s interview here.

Of course Richard Florida is not without his detractors, check out some of the footnotes from his Wikipedia page to see the questions some pose about his methodology. I do agree, if we are to emerge from this recession at all, it will have to be through a “great reset.” It seems clear, the economy we’ve spent the last quarter century or more living in was not sustainable. The questions are, will we reset ourselves, what will the new economy look like, and how can Providence position itself to thrive in the new world order.

Edit to add:
I also meant to point to this article from Sunday’s Journal. The gist of the article being that Rhode Island needs to wake up and move. We need to take advantage of what the recession has done to the economy, stop taking baby steps and make bold moves to get us set to thrive on the back side of the downturn.

Jack nails the point:

“You don’t want another Route 128. That’s soulless,” said [Jack] Templin, referring to the corridor of high-technology businesses in Massachusetts that is the envy of post-industrial America. “Providence has so much to offer. Its natural beauty, its historical nature, its arts and culture, its colleges and universities. These are the kinds of things that make up a real, livable community,” he said.

This is what Richard Florida preaches. People can live anywhere and are pretty sick of soulless-office-park-anywhere-USA. Providence has the livability points, but can we create an environment where people can actually make a living?


Related:
Must Read: How the Crash Will Reshape America

Jef Nickerson

Jef is Greater City Providence's co-founder, editor, and publisher. He grew up on Cape Cod and lived in Boston; Portland, Maine; and New York before settling in Providence. In addition to urbanism, Jef is interested in art, design, and ice cream. Please feel free to contact Jef if you have any question or comments about Greater City Providence.

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