FAQ
- What were the objectives of this research?
- The objectives of this research were:
- Help create a Michigan Approach called “Cool Cities”.
- Develop information to help Michigan cities use the Cool Cities Initiative as an economic development strategy.
- Support marketing strategies to create buzz about Cool Cities in Michigan.
(back to top)
- What research was done?
- Research efforts included:
- On-line Survey - A survey of Michigan university students and recent graduates to determine needs and preferences for choosing a place to live and work.
- Focus Groups – Eight focus groups in four Midwest (Detroit, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Chicago)
- Governor’s University Summits – Forums emceed by Governor Granholm at three Michigan Universities (Wayne State University, Northern Michigan University, Grand Valley State University)
(back to top)
- How was the on-line survey conducted, who was surveyed, and how many responded?
- Michigan University and college presidents were asked to send e-mail invitations to their enrolled students and alumni lists provided by the Universities. Those receiving the e-mail were invited to visit a web site at www.michigancoolcities.com to complete a survey about needs, wants and preferences for a place to live and work. By the end of April 2004, over 13,500 surveys had been completed.
(back to top)
- What is Creative Class Theory?
- Creative Class Theory is a concept put forth by Richard Florida in his book “Rise of the Creative Class”. In that book he proposes that a new working class has arisen made up of younger, educated people who, by sheer force of their numbers and creative skills, cause significant economic growth when concentrated in specific locales. Many of their creative skills can be utilized without regard to proximity to traditional economic infrastructure (e.g., close to a factory or a corporate headquarters.) As a result they chose where to live based on a combination of lifestyle preferences and job availability. This causes cities with large numbers of people within the creative class to become “cool cities” because of the array of activities, services, culture and lifestyles that grow in the community to support their needs.
(back to top)
- What is the “Michigan Approach” and how is it related to Creative Class Theory?
- Michigan is in the process of adopting a new economic development concept to offer Michigan communities an additional approach to create new economic activity. The Michigan Approach comes from two places. The first are those concepts set out in Richard Florida’s book “Rise of the Creative Class”. The second incorporates the additional findings from the Cool Cities Survey and other research that identifies Michigan’s unique characteristics related to the concept. The result is Michigan’s Approach called that uses both job creation and quality of life to “Create Cool Cities in Michigan”.
(back to top)
- How was the data from the survey analyzed?
- In addition to the normal types of analysis based on frequencies, there was an additional type of analysis that was conducted called a factor analysis. A factor analysis is a type of statistical review that defines relationships among variables. It is a multi-dimensional correlation analysis that simultaneously measures many variables, as opposed to a one or two dimensional analysis such as frequencies or cross-tabs. It says if that if a respondent rates one variable highly, they tend to rate certain other variables highly as well. It then puts all those types of variables together in one grouping of related variables.
Such an analysis was conducted of the 31 attributes included in the Cool Cities survey. Seven grouping emerged where the attributes within each grouping with strong relationships to each other. Those groupings are identified in the report and are called development targets.
(back to top)
- What is a development target?
- A development target is a way of grouping together findings from the research into a few simple concepts. The approach fits well with Creative Class Theory where it says that in order to appeal to the creative class, it is best to offer a package of related attributes. Putting too much emphasis on a any one attribute, even one that is highly rated, is not likely to have as much of an impact. A better strategy is to package related attributes. The development targets approach assembles attributes that are related to each other allowing for better focused product development and marketing programs.
These groupings are among the strongest confirmation yet from the survey of the Michigan approach or, Cool Cities. First, it has resulted in development targets that are closely aligned with Creative Class Theory. Second, it has identified a number of additional development targets not included in Creative Class theory that are unique to Michigan’s situation.
(back to top)
- How do I apply these findings to my community?
- Using these development targets, a strategic plan could be developed to address as many attributes as possible within each target. A community should first assess its unique strengths, weaknesses and potential with respect to these development targets. Then develop a plan to address these issues. By following this simple strategic planning and analysis outline described below, a community can determine if a Cool Cities Initiative is a viable economic development tool for them to use.
For each Development Target a community should design a strategy based on the following development approach:
- Analyze - A community should first conduct an honest assessment of its strengths and weaknesses with respect to each development target.
- Market - Many times communities already offer Cool Cities-types of assets. It is just not widely known. The challenge then becomes one of creating a marketing program to communicate the existence of those assets. Examples of existing assets that might simply need marketing include proximity to nature-based recreation opportunities, affordable housing, or an architecturally significant downtown.
- Short-Term Development Needs– Sometimes modest improvements can be accomplished in a short time frame yet prove to be tipping points for a community in becoming a significantly more attractive place to live. Streetscapes, sidewalk repair, signage, empty lot clean-ups are a few examples.
- Long-Term Development Needs – More long-term development is often needed as well. These types of strategies are the typical economic development strategies that are already in place in many communities. If that is the case, all that has to happen to accommodate “Cool Cities” strategies might be minor adjustments or re-prioritizing of objectives within that plan.
(back to top)
