

Young professionals concentrating in big cities
More than a decade ago we identified four common characteristics of high-prosperity non-energy-driven states: Over concentrated in knowledge-based services which are the sectors of the


The myth of six-figure welders
We first wrote about welders in 2013. Its a topic we keep coming back to, most recently in a 2018 post entitled What skilled trades


College entrance exams and college admission
Paul Tough’s excellent new book The Years That Matter Most explores how college entrance exams––SAT and ACT––impact who gets admitted to college. He does it


Talent attracts capital
In preparing presentations about our placemaking recommendations what has struck me is that the key message can be summed up in three words: talent attracts


Neighborhoods without gentrification
In a recent post we made the case for why gentrification is a good. Something that all Michigan cities should want more of. In this


The increasing value of a four-year degree
We constantly hear that the value of a four-year degree is declining. Somehow conventional wisdom has it that since the end of the Great Recession