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Do cities "build it and they will come?" Building before growing?
Probably. A school has to be ready for new students before they actually arrive. Etc.
But do you build the school if your population isn't having any more kids?
I suppose you could think of it like this...
As Birmingham (or any city that hasn't seen growth) builds and progresses, it will always entice those within the state to move there from surrounding cities like Gadsden, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, Huntsville, Mobile etc. Thereby increasing population and thereby appearing more attractive to commerce/companies.
You're probably never going to win back those that left, but you can do what you can to entice those growing up to stay and hopefully not be lured away.
Again, I just see a lot of building and some really good things going on there! But then I see companies leaving and population not growing. The populace is moving in from other parts of town, not new fresh faces.
It's risky, but you need the right infrastructure in place to attract the right companies. Empty buildings that don't serve use for current needs are of no value. Cities/Companies do best when they align with a strategic advantage and the infrastructure to support it is put in place. A very good example would be Las Vegas. Of course gaming is known, but it has also spent money to build infrastructure for data warehousing given the lack of natural disasters there and extended the gaming for additional entertainment opportunities and conventions. Chicago for years had her distribution centers connected to international waters and domestic rail and a huge airport. This in turn lead it to also develop marketing and convention events.
Alabama is one of the few states I haven't visited, so I can't tell you anything locally, but if the investments are made to attract a group that self reinforces, it's a good thing. If it's a series of me too things that have no connection...it's harder to win there.
Many towns were misled into building business parks. There was no demand to take up the excess supply. At the same time we have "ghost malls" where municipal rules prevent alternative use for the floor space in the malls. They would be perfect for light manufacturing that does not emit noxious fumes or distracting noise. Municipalities are going to need to be creative in order to survive economically.
in my town, the planning commision has a growth plan to attract tech people. It seems well funded and they are tearing down all the old ugly warehouse buildings and replacing them with fancy eaterys, beer halls and stuff that attract young hip millenials. They even put in hundreds of miles of highly difficult mountain bike trails that maim and injure riders every day.
In the course of 5 years, the area looks nothing like the place I moved to.
in my town, the planning commision has a growth plan to attract tech people. It seems well funded and they are tearing down all the old ugly warehouse buildings and replacing them with fancy eaterys, beer halls and stuff that attract young hip millenials. They even put in hundreds of miles of highly difficult mountain bike trails that maim and injure riders every day.
In the course of 5 years, the area looks nothing like the place I moved to.
Do they have VC firms and hella risky capital?
Do they have top colleges attracting amazing talent to an area and developing successfully?
Do they have other tech firms that can build off one another and steal from one another?
People don't work at Google because of the cafeteria. They stay at work slightly longer while already at Google because of the cafeteria.
To take your Birmingham example, the MSA is actually slowly growing in population. Things like Stadiums, etc, don't need people in walking distance, just people willing and able to get there to see the show. Lots of friends of mine have gone to concerts at the Greensboro Coliseum all the way from Raleigh (80 miles away).
Instead of "build it and they will come," its more like maintaining what you have.
Some things will continue to have a presence in Birmingham, even after Wells Fargo bought Wachovia or BellSouth was bought by AT&T. UAB and its 21,000 students, its medical school etc...The SEC is headquartered in Birmingham too.
Other Places aspire to be something they won't really be. Take Rocky Mount, NC and their convention center. THat's a white elephant.
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