Small Cities Weekly | 10.06.2023
Digital Economic Development, What is this place?, & Safe Havens
As part of the work we are doing on the Small City Segment, we send out a brief weekly post of thoughts, links, and research in progress that reflect the week’s work. I’d love to hear from you if you have any thoughts, questions, disagreements, or things to add. Please forward this on to people you think might enjoy reading it.
The end of this week marks 90 days since I started writing publicly about the intersection of small cities, entrepreneurship, and economic development. I believe feedback is a gift, so if you have any for me, I’d be grateful to hear it. Thank you for reading and showing an interest in a topic that is capturing more of my curiosity by the day.
Digital Economic Development
One of my favorite things to come out of the pandemic was a program run by the City of South Bend and local digital product studio, Code Works, giving small businesses grants to update or create their “digital storefront”. It was a creative extension of a popular and successful facade grant program run by the city that helped small businesses in our core economic corridors update their physical storefronts. Code Works has since expanded the digital storefront program, making it available to small businesses across our three-county region.
I just loved how obvious, yet creative it was. I’ve heard countless time about the lift that it is for certain small businesses to build out this digital presence. This was such an obvious way for local government to catalyze economic development with a one-time input.
Last week, Maria and I had a conversation with good friend and local city official on the topic of remote work. While a lot of people are working on attracting remote workers to their community, the opportunity that remote work presents for new, fulfilling, and well-paid career paths for current residents is just as, if not more, exciting. (And an example of how we can increase economic measures of success without worrying about population growth!) We’ve even started to see some companies focus on helping people take advantage of this opportunity.
Both of these ideas are sparks of what digital economic development strategies might look like for small cities. The internet has been disruptive in many ways - but I’m hoping more experiments like this show how it can be so in a positive way.
Links
The Asheville Bar That Launched 1,000 Restaurants, C.A. Carlson, Our State
When I first visited the city nearly 15 years ago, my local friends told me that we were going to the hot new restaurant on the west side. But when we pulled up outside an unassuming cinderblock building across the street from a run-down gas station, I was doubtful. The interior muttered “dive bar”: low ceilings, low lights, pleather booths, and a Formica bar crowded with young customers drinking PBRs.
And then I had a plate of perfect short ribs and a cocktail as well-crafted as any I’d found at upscale urban bars. We lingered until we saw the staff moving tables. As we got up to leave, we found out that they were clearing a dance floor. The joint was soon shaking to the sound of soul music, and as I stomped and shimmied the night away, I thought, “What is this place?”
I was in Asheville recently and had a chance to eat at The Admiral. It’s as advertised. My favorite part about this article is that “What is this place?” quote. It feels like when small cities are at their best, this is the reaction visitors have to them. When we are doing things that elicit that question, it reminds me of the advice of Kevin Kelly: “Don't be the best. Be the only.”
The Spatial Structure of U.S. Metropolitan Employment: New Insights from LODES Data, Robert Manduca
In this presentation Manduca uses high-resolution data based on unemployment insurance wage records to show that employment in U.S. metropolitan areas is not centralized but is spatially concentrated. Unlike residents, who form a continuous surface covering most parts of each metropolitan area, jobs have a bimodal spatial distribution, with most blocks containing no jobs whatsoever and a small number having extremely high employment densities. Across the 100 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas, about 75% of jobs are located on the 6.5% of built land in Census blocks with at least twice as many jobs as people.
Transportation in small cities is just a different animal than in more dense, urban centers. One of the issues that presents is the link between transportation access and employment opportunities. In my research of what that looks like as an entrepreneurial opportunity, I came across this paper. I’m working on overlaying this with population data and seeing what shape it takes compared to transportation options.
Why This Florida City Is a Safe Haven From Hurricanes, Nancy Keates, WSJ
Insurance companies are boosting hurricane-coverage premiums in Florida. Some, such as Farmers Insurance, are pulling out of the state altogether. The average Florida premium has tripled in five years, according to the Insurance Information Institute. But the average premiums for homeowners in Marion County, where Ocala is located, have remained relatively low. As of March, it was $1,894 a year, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. That compares with $5,665 in Miami Dade County, $5,710 in Palm Beach County, $5,519 in Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) and $7,584 in Monroe County (the Florida Keys). The only county in Florida with cheaper premiums than Marion was Sumter, just south of Ocala.
I’m curious what a map of natural disaster risk - flooding, hurricanes, fires, etc. - especially as they are influence by climate change looks like overlaid on a map of small cities. Is there a correlation? Even if only by coincidence, are there other Ocalas out there that might see some of this type of migration?
What I’m Working On
Current Startups Serving the Small City Segment: I want to do a few profiles on companies that I think are serving the unique markets in small cities. I have a few examples already, but would love to hear any that you all know of!
Transportation & Employment in Small Cities: As referenced above, I’m still looking at transportation issues, but taking a bit wider lens now than just the public bussing angle. If you have any resources or thoughts here, let me know!
If you…
are interested in building for the small city segment…
are already building for the small city segment…
know someone who might be/should be building for the small city segment…
want to contribute expertise to problem profiles…
or want to help us expand our networks of trust in small cities…
please subscribe and reach out at dustin@invanti.co.