Columbia's knowledge based economy (Charleston, Greenville: 2010, luxury, school)

[sandlapper]

Saw in a news articile today where Columbia did pretty well among its southeastern peers regarding knowledge based workers, 12th out of 114. Looks like Columbia's decade may be the 2010's! We'll see. Maybe the state is can put a dent in the brain drain to Atlanta, & Charlotte.

Knowledge-based jobs will challenge region | GreenvilleOnline.com | The Greenville News

The state of SC has quite a ways to go. Needs to get some young fresh blood involved at the state administrative & legislative level but it has been hard to do in decades past because most of its talented young people have left for more promising prospects. So the cycle stupidity just continues to flow and it seems as each decade passes SC keeps falling further and further behind. It used to be something I would joke about with my family but after being away for 6 years and coming back to visit family and friends in all regions (midlands, upstate, and pee dee) the state is beginning to look a lot like where I went to school in WV, and that aint good. No offense to WV my girl is from there but she'll tell you the same thing. Most people who could get away from WV left, leaving those who still have "old way of thinking behind" and spiraling further and further behind.

There is still plenty of time for the state but it really needs to start investing more in its people, and not looking for the lazy way out such as tourism, and services industries, because when times get tough that becomes a luxury that most people can't afford.

Thoughts, considerations, concerns?

[Columbiadata]

I was thinking Charleston was edging Columbia in the knowledge economy. Glad to see that's not the case.

[waccamatt]

Columbia's ranking is pretty good news, but what about the state lagging at 39th? That has got to change and it has to change from the ground up by improving K-12 in all areas of the state.

[mettler]

Columbia needs to fix its roads/road system before any kind of influx of people/population explosion ala Charlotte or it will be a total disaster. I really REALLY think Columbia needs to start considering one way streets downtown. I lived in upstate NY when the city I lived in did this. It was crazy at first, but after everyone got the hang of the one way streets and where they were it was really nice. In my perfect world, I would have Huger one way in, and Elmwood one way out. Of course, this would require a total re-do of the 126 entrance/exit, but at the same time all the lights on Elmwood and Huger could be timed. I would also consider Assembly one way out in order to time those lights. The medians on Assembly might be a problem, but not on the other two streets. It would be like being in a taxi in NYC..get caught at one light and that is it for miles..its nice. Now is the time to do it; before it is too late.

[Intergalactic]

Knowledge-based economies don't need a downtown.

[Columbiadata]

Columbia's streets are so wide they don't need to be one-way. I hate one-way streets. Lots of cities, Charleston included, are returning some of their one-way streets to two-way.

People who work in knowledge-based industries like downtown urban living, so knowledge-based economies do need downtowns.

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by Intergalactic

Knowledge-based economies don't need a downtown.

They don't (e.g., RTP in NC) but it would be better if knowledge-based jobs could be located downtown as much as possible.