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Feb 26
2009
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After the CrashPosted by Bruce Robinson in technology , resources , poverty , policy , planning , jobs , international , Ideas , history , government , finances , environment , energy , economy , climate change , business , author |
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In the eventual recovery from the current economic crisis, there will be geographic winners and losers-and the Bay Area is well positioned to be among the winners.
Richard Florida, is a researcher, educator and the author of several books, including Beyond Mass Production and The Rise of the Creative Class. He also wrote the cover story for the current issue of Atlantic Monthly, which is titled, "How the Crash Will Reshape America."In it, he explains that some American cities will be much harder hit by the current economic downturn than others.
But in both the regions that prosper in the new economy, and those that will continue to decline, Florida says the Ameircan citizenry will have no choice but to evolve new lifestyles.
You can read Florida's full article in The Atlantic here. The magazine has also prepared online interactive maps showing how population, income an, as a measure of innovation, the number of patents issued, have changed over the years between 1975 and 2002.
Richard Florida's most recent book is Who's Your City, which is subtitled How the Creative Economy is Making the Place Where You Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life. In it, he ranks American cities by their suitability in terms of life-stage, rating the best places for singles, young families and empty-nesters. Santa Rosa shows up well in both the first and last of those categories.
Just about everyone agrees that preserving California's productive agricultural lands is a good idea, even if there have been some highly charged disagreements over the best means to accomplish that objective. Sidestepping these policy debates, California FarmLink is working directly with farming and ranching families to help them decide what they want to do with their lands from one generation to the next, as reported on today's North Bay Report:
Shrinking real estate values in California are prompting some ag families to re-evaluate their plans for their land. But Steve Schwartz, Executive Director of California FarmLink, says the shifting economic climate also holds some unexpected opportunities for new farmers to get established.
Many of the most creative answers to climate change are being developed at the local level, and are up for discussion at a low-key conference in Sonoma County this weekend. 
Dan Kammen is professor in the Energy and Renewable Resources Group of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at U.C. Berkeley He was identified as one of the 