Industry Insight
These posts include my insight on the meaning and significance of recent events and changes in how we live, work, learn and shop. You can read by topic or key word, as shown at right.
For Younger Workers, This Article Notes Face-to-Face Work Brings Familiarity, Mentoring, and a Gain in Productivity
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/24/business/remote-work-feedback.html
Tourism is Now Downtown Seattle’s Primary Retail Anchor
I prepared the map below after biking downtown. Red shows occupied retail space, which is probably 1/3 to 1/2 pre-Covid. Total sales volumes are probably...
“I Have Something Going On For Which I’ll Need to Postpone Our Meeting…”
From an April 2023 presentation by Nick Bloom of Stanford, one of the leading work-from-home experts.
Potential Students Are Voting With Their Feet
My work in industrial revitalization found that community colleges avoid industry-specific certification programs because they get more state funding the longer those students sit in...
The Real Problem Is the Ineffectiveness of Planning
In my neighborhood on South Bainbridge Island, neighbors are already organizing to fight state-mandated infill, and they are right to be fearful of new plans....
The Biggest Problem In Downtown Portland Isn’t Homelessness or Drugs, But Leadership
As a fourth-generation Oregonian, I love downtown Portland, and when I was in town yesterday I spent three hours walking from the Civic Auditorium on...