Cincy

By Randy Weeks 9/17/09

Relocating to Cincinnati for its cost of lifestyle is timely and vital information to Young Professionals.

Cincinnati provides Big City lifestyle and amenities at an incredibly affordable cost of lifestyle, making it one of the best places to live in the United States. When searching Google for such terms as Relocating to Cincinnati, that powerful bit of information ought to be more easily discovered. 

Cost of Lifestyle is one of the most important factors today for choosing a place to live and work. Cincinnati has more to offer in that category than many of its peers, such as: Minneapolis, Lexington, St. Louis, Atlanta, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh. That list includes even cities with larger populations, such as Columbus, Nashville, Charlotte, Cleveland and Denver.

This morning, Rebecca Ryan of Next Generation Consulting (NGC) spoke to a group of business and community leaders gathered to hear about Cincinnati's Talent Handprint and how we score as a city on the Seven Indexes of a Next City(TM) (more on the 7 indexes below). 

Among the points and messages that struck me most in her talk were these: 

• Some cities ramped up during the past couple decades based on the scale and volume of the consumption at that time. It made them "big" instead of "strollable". "Cities were designed for people," she said. Cincinnati has managed to keep its walkable communities, including its downtown, at a Human Scale. Ryan says that with regard to community design, Shrinking and Being Human Scale will be important terms of the Next Generation of cities. 
• Human Scale means affordable, authentic, spacious: Fountain Square is an awesome example of how this works: It's built on a human scale.... 450 feet or so, diagonally and we can SEE each other. 
• Don't try to expand stroll districts to 3 miles stretches... Make more of them and let them be more compact, shorter.
• In earlier generations, "Jobs" were key to how a city attracted talent. Today the number of available jobs in a city is JUST ONE measure 
• In response to a question about focusing on just one, large attraction - on one key index, and about whether being such a well rounded city is as sexy as having one index that makes the city amazing, Ryan said, "I want to invest in a story... in a balanced, whole place." She went on to talk about the attraction of a balanced approach to investing in arts, culture, HYPE, etc. Our culture tends to be overly focused on narrow plan and results and on ONE big thing at a time. What we're seeking isn't found in one sexy silver bullet. Life designed on a Human Scale will ultimately be a story of balance and high quality in many areas of life. It will be a result of Intentional Design, a term with which she opened her talk. 
• "This recession", she said, "has been a new opportunity to do smart things."
• The "battery" foir a knowledge worker is his or her brain. - A lifestyle that includes the Arts and creative experience is critical for them. - it's how they recharge and develop the talent and qualities that brought them into their careers in the first place

Here are the Seven Indexes of a Next City(TM), as Ryan shared them with us in her brief and insightful talk:

1. Cost of Lifestyle - Can I afford to live here? Cincy has this in spades. And what kind of housing is cited as desired in the surveys and research NGC conducts? Consistently, of the kinds of housing preferred, the individual family home with a yard is the #1 choice. Affordable housing in Cincinnati and the accompanying lower cost of lifestyle overall makes the city an incredible choice for young knowledge workers and other professionals seeking a high quality of life and access to arts, culture and other interests, at the best cost of living possible.
2. Earning - Quality and diversity of jobs and career opportunities. Rebecca says cities should be careful to focus on many kinds of jobs and employment, so as not to "become the Detroit of 2059". Attract not just the RN and Doctor, but also their spouses who are Engineers and Entrepreneuers. Attract the whole family and their careers
3. Vitality - Is our community a healthy community? Parks, environment, health, lifestyle, bike paths, etc. Rebecca says, the next gen professionals on the market today were raised with higher awareness of vitality factors. Many were raised in with "title 9" awareness and experience with the President's Physical Fitness Council and its participation patch.
4. Learning - is this a "Smart" community, and one that values ongoing education?  - On all levels and grades.
5. Around Town - How easy is it to get around - and out of - town?  Employers don't want their talent worn out and angry from a 2 hour commute to work. They want people fresh and ready to go during their peak creative hours... When people go out for an evening or afternoon, how many places can offer them a "Stroll District" in which they can spend hours, money, energy, all within a walkable space, designed on a "Human Scale". Greater Cincinnati has a wealth of such places, from Fountain Square, Mount Adams, Covington and Hyde Park to Glendale, Over The Rhine, Madeira and the Northside Rennaisance. 
6. Social Capital - Does our community engage all people? Is there a diversity of opportunity offered by the mix of life, work and play here?One national stat cited says 60% of businesses are started by women and people of color
7. After Hours - What's there to do after work and on weekends? There's more to life than work. 

The average score on each of these seven indexes is 5. 

Cincinnati scores above the average on Cost of Lifestyle (7) and on Around Town (6), with a 5 on each of the others. 

Ryan is in town as part of the national 2009 Next Leaders Summit, which is produced by Next Generation Consulting. It starts today and will run through Sept. 19 at the Westin Cincinnati.