Does Place Matter?

Benjamin and I talk about the 'text' of place as often as the caprice of the weather is observed and felt. Which is daily, of course. The message of ths story is that place, indeed, doth matter!

While technology and the internet allow us to have easy access to many thing in the world and to communicate sans frontiers, the very place in which we find ourselves is hugely important as well.

According to Richard Florida's new upcoming book "Who's Your City," place is not only important, it’s more important than ever. He observes that,

'Globalization is not flattening the world; on the contrary, the world is spiky. Place is becoming more relevant to the global economy and our individual lives. The choice of where to live, therefore, is not an arbitrary one. It is arguably the most important decision we make, as important as choosing a spouse or a career. In fact, place exerts powerful influence over the jobs and careers we have access to, the people meet and our “mating markets” and our ability to lead happy and fulfilled lives.'

The bottom line is that we all face our daily realities in our respective locations and the quotidian cannot be bypassed by technology. And there can only be one or a small few egg places that know how to make your brunch menu just so.

I am looking forward to the book which is scheduled to come out in March of 2008.



graph per Richard Florida's blog