That’s right, it sounds counter intuitive. As economic and tourism developers or promoters, we are always trying to outdo our competitors with more, bigger, better (more restaurants, more tourist attractions, the largest population of college educated workers). Or perhaps, some places go the opposite direction with less, lower, simpler (low taxes, few regulations, simpler lifestyle). While it is always great to have goals and understand how people, companies, and tourists make decisions about where to move, travel or set up shop, a fascinating reality is emerging about those cities that are growing and attracting on a consistent basis. They are focused on a balance of quality of place that is found in pragmatic and moderate efforts related to investing in quality of life assets, taxes, regulations, traffic, zoning, tourism assets, and many others.

Put another way, the attributes that are attractive to companies did not used to be considered the attributes that are attractive to tourists. The marketing messages around each were completely different. Tourism campaigns show quality of life, attractions, restaurants, entertainment, parks, zoos, and walkability. Economic development campaigns show access to talent, airport connectivity, available development sites and tax/regulation data. Until the Amazon sweepstake, these two approaches were separate. As many cities quickly found out, Amazon (and truly, everyone else) wants the best of both worlds and wants to understand a cohesive reality about the quality of life, work and leisure in your city. Most companies do not need extremes and, in fact, cannot have extremes in terms of any of these items. They want the best of both worlds, in relatively abundant moderation.

For years we have seen a divergence between red and blue areas. Red cities/states boast about low taxes and regulations, but often have less invested in public transit, parks, general infrastructure, education and other quality of life elements. The cost of living is low, but the benefits and surroundings are often less than desired. Blue cities/states boast about high quality of life, more parks and public transit, a more talented workforce and cultural options galore. But this comes at a price, literally. Heavy zoning, taxes and regulation reduces supply relative to demand and drives up the cost of housing and nearly every activity.

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