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In this week’s podcast we meet up for coffee with Kyle Ezell, a city planner, author, and teacher in the City & Regional Planning Department at The Ohio State University. Kyle shares with us some of his opinions about life in Columbus, various ongoing developments, and reveals his latest idea, FreeDigs; a rent-free incubator designed to bring the best and brightest minds back to Ohio.
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[audio:http://blip.tv/file/get/ColumbusUnderground-ColumbusUndergroundcomPodcastEpisode07591.mp3]
Excellent idea and I’m happy to see that work is being done to try and make it happen. I know that Lifeontwowheels and I have kicked around similar ones in other threads so I dont think it sounds crazy at all.
Yeah, as I said in the podcast, I really don’t think this is all that crazy. Big? Yes. Unorthodox? Sure. Crazy? Not at all. I’d love to see this idea happen. I think the only real hurdle for it is money. Just need to figure out a creative solution for that, or get some big big sponsors or investors behind it. ;)
If you’ve ever tried to listen to yourself in this way it’s cringe-worthy! :) The main point here is that we have to do something remarkable, totally outside the box in order to overcome our regional stigmas that are unfortunately severe. A clarification too– I know Columbus is not technically a “Rustbelt” city (<sure to wrangle feathers) but we are lumped in this region of rusted out places. Trains, parks, and new development ideas are great, but we must go beyond the minimum to thrive. That’s where this Freedigs idea comes in. We need a lot of BIG, crazy, but doable ideas.
Let’s get busy.
Great idea. I’m a big fan of the Free Digs concept, but for different reasons. I’m a Brain Drain denier. I don’t think the way the “problem” is painted is a reality. Tackling urban development with attraction and retention as the center piece of an initiative is destructive IMO. I tend to equate “Brain Drain” with Gingivitis. It may be there, but it’s a focus and fixation on the wrong problem.
I’m not implying Free Digs has brain drain at the center, but just throwing out caution.
Brain drain gave material to consultants like Richard Florida and Rebecca Ryan to preach hell and fire at mayoral conferences and scare the shit out of city leaders. Incidentally, it drummed up business for their firms because they had the answer. Tarter Control Crest.
I’m also not completely sold on “Brain Drain” especially on a college city like Columbus. When you’ve got as many annual graduates that we do, there’s little chance for all of them to find employment in the region without relocating or without thousands and thousands of new jobs waiting for them at the end of every quarter. And from everyone I’ve ever heard discussing the problem of Brain Drain, I’ve never heard any studies or statistics that measure the number of residents who went to school elsewhere and moved to Columbus for work. (Brain Gain?) Half the people I know didn’t go to school or grow up in Columbus.
But I digress… I still like Kyle’s FreeDigs idea, not because it’s going to keep more people from leaving, but it’s going to give the right people more reasons to want to come here in the first place.
Interesting, Jon!
I used the term ‘brain drain,’ but this is more brain gain. Not even retention, really. It’s constructing the center of the universe.
I have to say that I do believe in brain drain though. I see it all the time in students who take my courses they’re bolting and most can’t wait. It’s hard to find a handful of people who want to stay here and they’re the apologizers. I get emails from the best “brains” who have escaped. It’s harder to find people from other regions who would ever consider moving here. But the picture in this is about sparking business ideas and “turning around Ohio.” I think people just got sick of Ryan and Florida, and maybe their approaches were wrong, but they wouldn’t have a market if brain drain wasn’t real. This Freedigs could be our idea, not theirs. BTW, If they wanted to, Nationwide make this happen quick!
One more thing- (I can’t help myself)- imagine the talk around the country or even the world at the very idea of such a place even existing. And thinking about what Jon said, “It may be there, but it’s a focus and fixation on the wrong problem” I understand this and totally agree. Instead, it has to be a pull, not a “hold”. I digress. The point is, for leaders who are reading this thread, we need to be confident enough as a city to do something totally out of the box… to risk and reap rewards. Whatever that idea is… not just a river park, not two-waying streets (both are great but these are hardly new ideas in other cities! “Oh, did you hear about Columbus’ river park? Nope.). Something grand. Newsworthy. Transformative.
How about incentives for young homebuyers? Maybe it’s not even monetary, but service-related. That is a “pull” and a “hold.” Something changes when you buy property in a city - you’re more invested in your community and care more about whether businesses succeed or fail, whether schools succeed or fail. You start to think about entrepreneurial things that can help you and your community. A city that would share some of the burden of homeownership with young people shows that the city cares about attracting and retaining them.
As for brain drain, we can’t expect that Columbus is for everyone. No city is. While some locals that go to school locally can’t wait to get out, and some (grad students from elsewhere, especially) are in agony over having to endure a few years in Ohio. Others are happier to be part of a city that, while vibrant and growing, isn’t a huge megalopolis. We need to do a better job in separating the wheat from the chaff before we start beating ourselves up over brain drain.
I got rid of “brain drain” in the little website. Thanks for that suggestion and I welcome more. Now it can just be a cool idea with less bullshit buzzwords that can set people off. I made that in early 2007 and it’s amazing how old terms can become. If anyone has any comments or suggestions send ‘em to me. Later.
I’m worried thT Michigan is taking the courgious steps that we need to be taking and we will lose out in the fight . They are running commecials about how they are the best for innovation business and they lowered tax rates for films . Gran toreno was just made there along with 32 other movies in 08. We need to get moving on something and that isnt a dream !
Yeah, but you can’t tax break yourself out of an economic crisis on the scale Michigan is dealing with. Seems awfully short term to me.
no they gave tax breaks to the Film industry to intise them to shoot movies there. There was a discussion on CU a while back that talked about this. The governer was on TV saying how it will improve and diversify their economy . Ohio is one place that everyone wants to shoot but our tax policy detours many film studios and film makers
Having spent a few years in Michigan, just as things started to turn south, I would say the film industry perks are a nice idea, but hardly something that will turn the economy around. (especially when 1 in 10 people are now on some form of public assistance due to the economy). The same can be said for Michigan’s “cool cities” program and grants (and the governor donning sunglasses in a press conference for it), that was iniated back in 2003 and things have only gotten worse since then.
I really like Kyle’s idea because it also could provide support for entrepreneurial start up activities, for young people early in their carrer. In addition to this, what both states need are a sustained and transformative intervention in preparing the labor force (e.g. education). The best program in Michigan in the past few years (and most locally transformative) has been the Kalamazoo promise, where all Kalamazoo public school kids have been given free access to college. Kalamazoo in turn has seen population increase as a result.
I think Kyle has hit upon the fundamental challenge we have (although i’m not sure this is the best way to go about )
The best cities seem to be ones where they a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship as a cultural trait. Even when they have set backs and lose an industry or a movement their spirit typically creates another. Somewhere along the way Ohio lost a lot of that spirit of trying new things etc. It can be hard to see here because Columbus has more of it left than most places in the state.
One area I think you can actually see it in I believe is our attitude towards sports. E.g. Ohio generally favors conservative style of football these days, however our roots were innovation (and some high school still reflect this). The great Paul Brown wildly reinvented offenses while in Cleveland and the National Football League itself started here.
Heck we are the state that invented flight. Seems almost impossible to believe now.
The nice thing about Kyle’s idea is that it is new, Columbus is never going to get to elite status if we just keep copying other places and other ideas.
We need to innovate again.
Interesting idea from the residential end. I had a similar one, but I wanted to have a business plan competition to give away free space (in City Center) to small businesses for a year or two. I think spending money to grow small businesses seems like a much better way to spend money than giving away tax incentives to large corporations just to move from Gahanna to Columbus or whatever.
Michigan will turn around if the big 3 go bankrupt . People will be retrained and empty spaces made into studios . The demise is all a part of the process.
Freedigs : The city should take some of the houses that are vacant and let those who are going to live in them do the work to fix them up. (habitat for humanity style) or in the same spirit buy those 5 000 dollar Modular houses and place them on vacant land. The vacancies aren’t making any money right now and the cost of them reno/homes would be paid off overtime through the developement of our economy and the businesses they start. The houses are Temporary only though and shouldn’t be lavish at all/ The goal is to get your idea off the ground.
Furthermore we need to reward failure. If people aren’t afraid to take a risk then they will. That s why this idea is what i like to call pregnant( not fully developed but in the first stages of life) …So we can’t just look to business to turn the economy here around. Sometimes we must just dig in and get our hands dirty as well(volunteer)!
Another excellent podcast. I really liked the concept of being in “Columbus by Choice”. Yes, I get tired of people talking about what we don’t have, sometimes it seems like a self reinforcing case of low self esteem. I think the mid west is the new hot area as the coasts move into the long tail. In the past week NPR aired 2 positive stories: Youngstown Business Incubator http://is.gd/jQAX and high employment rates in Morgantown WV. http://is.gd/kzFu.
My biggest complaint about Columbus is an organizational bias, when I meet people they ask, “Who are you with?” . I am part of many groups, but I am not “with” or representing any of them specfically. I attended a public hearing on Ohio’s new Obesity Prevention Plan http://healthyohioprogram.org/ and I was one of the few who were actually from the public. The plan was written by several Ohio agencies, but it becomes a self-licking ice cream cone if the voices are primarily from within. I think Ohio gov is in for a big change as we move toward transparency in gov. Not that it can’t be done, but it will be a 180 from biz as usual.
Kyle – I love the free digs concept and would like to see it rolled out on a smaller basis to get the ball rolling. There is excitement around the co-working concept and spots are popping up around town to facilitate this, so though it is not free or housing, they definitely are fostering the creative, collaborative energy. My hope is that these spots will have a dynamic feel as people flow in and out, long term, short term, out of towners, 1 time visitors, there is something to be gained by the variety and semi-chaos. The free digs would give people a place to settle and put down roots, but I also like the model of the Hostel where people come in and out and there is lots of change and movement. Hostels are geared to folks 90 miles away, but I wonder if there is a way to blend the model with some local creative folks too.