FastCompany magazine has
created a list of best and worst cities to live and do business. (Its second list since 2005). The idea of creating best/worst lists is clear enough from a publishing perspective: It hooks readers. We should know - we've tried it. But whether best is really best, and vice versa, is far from clear to us. In this case, Philly does not make FastCompany's A-List of cities in categories such as "Creative-Class Mecca" and "High-Tech Hot Spot." But Philly does land in the runner-up list that FastCompany calls "
Cities on the Verge" under the category of "Urban Innovator." It came in below the Estonian capital of Tallinn where 58 percent of people use the Internet, the Brazilian city of Curitiba where 45 percent use the bus, and Salt Lake City which has the "youngest urban citizenry in the United States."
So what's Philly special "urban innovator" trait? FastCompany executive editor Keith Hammonds tells phillyinc that this region won for its high share of people working "knowledge-based jobs" in industry and academia. In fact, Hammonds says the magazine compared 300 cities using data compiled by acclaimed economist Richard Florida and other sources, and found Philly ranked No. 32, "which is quite strong," says Hammonds. Then he conceded that the magazine used "an anectodal and journalistic angle" in elevating Philly from the No. 32 spot effectively to No. 4. And he says: "The reason Philly landed on the fringe is how do you keep people. Clearly Philly has a problem there." (The magazine's press release is here.)
- Thomas Ginsberg
