nuance intelligence

I was recently interviewed as part of a survey of Denver’s telecom industry. On the table was the question of the future of telecom in Denver and Colorado. Our discussion brought to mind a premise that has stuck with me for almost a decade now.

In his 2001 book, As The Future Catches You (review), Juan Enriquez advances the premise that intelligence, innovation, wealth and progress will be focused in a tiny set of locations, measured more accurately by zip codes than states or cities. For instance, he points out that innovation happens in Cambridge, not all of Boston. In Enriquez’s view, these tiny hubs of intellectual activity will have an ever-widening gap with the rest of the city / state / country / world. And if you’re not in one of them, you’re nowhere.

What’s the nuance? As we watch the U.S. economy tumbles and inflation takes hold, tenuous infrastructure will start to fall apart.  Already gas prices are making suburban living prohibitive, and it’s just the beginning.

Places like Silicon Valley, Boulder, Cambridge, Ann Arbor and others will continue to deliver value through innovation; value that will be recognized globally, regardless of the power of the dollar.  Life outside of these hubs will become tougher and tougher, as is already demonstrated by the massive housing price drops in many parts of the country.  This leaves major questions about cities and communities on the bubble.

Can the globally strong Caterpillar save Peoria?  Will a telecom revival support Denver?  Civic and business leaders are going to have to turn to new strategies in order to answer those question in the affirmative, working together like never before.