City Indicators For Success. Hint: Don’t copy other cities….

Measures That Matter

* Editor’s note: The following article is reprinted from a recent newsletter published by CEOs for Cities. Chicago. You’ve read the headlines: Anycity, U.S.A. is the [fill in the blank: fattest, fittest, most livable, poorest, richest, best for kids, worst for dogs, and on and on and on].

At the end of the day, fostering suc- cessful cities is far more complex than any single list can reflect. And even more familiar measures, such as job and population growth, are outdated tools in the knowledge economy.

Now, CEOs for Cities, with leadership from economist Joe Cortright, has developed a new framework for urban leaders to track the characteristics that matter most to the success of cities: talent, innovation, connections, and distinctiveness.

Joe will present the findings from our latest research, "City Vitals," at our national meeting in Miami. As a primer for his presentation, we asked Joe a few questions about the research and how urban leaders will be able to use this first-of-its-kind tool:

CAROL COLETTA
TIMES-DISPATCH GUEST COLUMNIST

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The Innovation Economy: Protecting The Talent Advantage http://www.bayeconfor.org/pdf/BAEP_February06web.pdf