BCT Editorial – 4/13/06

This page was last updated on April 14, 2006.

Urban expansion; Editorial; Beaver County Times; April 13, 2006.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“Pittsburgh’s future depends on its ability to grow its all-important creative class

“Pittsburgh’s future depends on how creatively it nurtures its most valuable resource - its college-educated young people.

“An Associated Press survey found that 34 percent of those 25 and older who are Pittsburgh residents had at least a bachelor’s degree. The 70-city average was 27 percent, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Pittsburgh stands out in comparison to many other Rust Belt cities. Heck, when it comes to college graduates, the city more than holds it own against some of the nation’s boom towns. (See the following editorial.)

“This matters because, as one expert told The AP, the ‘largest predictor of economic well-being in cities is the percent of college graduates. Cities, in order to remain fiscally viable, have to have a package of goods and services that are attractive to educated people.’

“It also matters immensely because, as another expert told the AP, cities with few college graduates have a hard time generating good-paying jobs. That, in turn, makes it hard to attract college graduates.

“The best way to do that is to ‘have a package of goods and services that are attractive to educated people,’ and this is where Pittsburgh and the region come up woefully short.

“This is especially true for the post-college, pre-family group, a critical social subset to any city’s health and welfare that includes members of what former Carnegie-Mellon University professor Richard Florida has dubbed ‘the creative class.’

“While Pittsburgh has the traditional menu of cultural activities (museums, theaters, etc.) and three professional sports teams, it has failed to accommodate itself to what many young people want - more participatory recreational opportunities (hiking, biking, rollerblading, kayaking, etc.), user-friendly public transit, cultural and social diversity, acceptance of new ideas, etc.

“These appeal to Florida’s creative class, young people who share a common ethos that values creativity, individuality, difference and merit. They want to live and work in a city that has the lifestyle options, cultural diversity and tolerant attitude they are looking for.

“These young people should be the core on which Pittsburgh’s and the region’s future can expand. If you think their presence and contributions aren’t important, consider this: Eight cities ranked in the top 10 in the AP survey and in Florida’s book ‘The Rise of the Creative Class.’

“Because of its colleges and universities, Pittsburgh has a critical mass of college-educated young people in place for it to succeed. The goal must be to tip it in the right direction.

“We can’t un-invent air-conditioning, which makes places like Austin, Texas, and Atlanta habitable all year long. We can’t manufacture cool. We can’t legislate trendiness.

“However, we can start paying attention to young people and their needs. As Florida has written, ‘Places that succeed in attracting and retaining creative class people prosper; those that fail don’t.’”

[RWC] Anybody want to bet the editorial author doesn’t have a clue how to address his perceived problem?

The answer is, “It’s the economy, stupid!” Whether you are a member of Mr. Florida’s “creative class” or not, you are attracted by vibrant economic activity. Employ conservative principles to restore economic freedom to PA’s economy and “problems” like those described in this editorial take care of themselves.