Is walkable, pedestrian-friendly infrastructure a good investment for cities? For towns like Lancaster, Calif. and others, the payoff has been tremendous.

Categories: Quality of Life, Sustainability
Tagged: boulevard, Chattanooga TN, Columbia TN, Dalton Ga., downtown revitalization, Lancaster CA, pedestrian-friendly, Quality of Place, riverwalk, smart growth, transporation, Waco TX, walkability, Wichita KS,

As manufacturing becomes more high-tech and global, companies are looking to locate and expand in communities with well-connected networks of talent.

Categories: Deals, Workforce Development
Tagged: manufacturing, Reshoring, Wichita KS, workforce,

What role does arts and culture play in driving entrepreneurship? A recent study highlights a strong connection between the two.

Categories: Quality of Life, Research
Tagged: Arts and culture, creative class, Entrepreneurship, Nashville TN, Quality of Place, Wichita KS,

Some new statistics out put the number of small businesses in the United States in new focus. An eye-opening 98 percent of all companies in the country employ fewer than 500 people and only a fraction of those companies employ more than 100 people. In all, 96 percent of all U.S. companies have fewer than 100 workers.

Categories: Job Creation, Research
Tagged: Albuquerque NM, Charlotte NC, Entrepreneurship, Kentucky small business, RUPRI, small business, Wichita KS,

Walkability is becoming a key quality of life initiative for communities trying to attract talent and business. What makes a city walkable, and what can cities do to draw more foot traffic to their downtown districts?

Categories: Quality of Life
Tagged: bike lanes, Chattanooga TN, Dalton Ga., Livability, Nashville TN, pedestrian-friendly, talent attraction, urban development, Waco TX, walkability, Wichita KS,

Quality of life is one of those elastic phrases that can be stretched to fit definitions broad and narrow, and any ranking, no matter how objective, leaves room for ample debate and interpretation.

Categories: Quality of Life, Research
Tagged: Arts and culture, Charlotte NC, Fort Worth TX, quality of life, Recreation, Wichita KS,

Vibrant arts and culture scenes in many cities across the U.S. are playing a leading role in spurring economic growth and attracting top talent to communities.

Categories: Quality of Life
Tagged: Ann Markusen, Arts and culture, arts and culture scenes, creative class, Forth Worth TX, Frederick Wherry, Koch Industries, museums, music and entertainment venues, Richard Florida, talent attraction and retention, Texas, the arts, The Badlands Philadelphia, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, urban revitalization, urban villages, Wichita KS,