Proposal for
Colleges & Small Town Retail: An Analysis
Alexander R. Thomas*
Dean of Behavioral & Applied Science
SUNY College at Oneonta
Ravine Parkway
Oneonta, N. Y. 13820
thomasa@oneonta.edu
Phone: 607-436-2520
Fax: 607-436-2756
Dr. Thomas is Associate Professor of
Sociology and Dean of Behavioral and Applied
Science at SUNY Oneonta. He has authored
seven books, including The Evolution of the
Ancient City and co-author of Critical Rural
Theory.
*Send correspondence to Dr. Thomas
Brian M. Lowe
Associate Professor of Sociology
SUNY College at Oneonta
Ravine Parkway
Oneonta, N. Y. 13820
lowebm@oneonta.edu
Phone: 607-436-3046
Dr. Lowe is Associate Professor of Sociology
and at SUNY Oneonta. He is the author of
Emerging Moral Vocabularies and co-author
of Critical Rural Theory.
Gregory M. Fulkerson
Assistant Professor of Sociology
SUNY College at Oneonta
Ravine Parkway
Oneonta, N. Y. 13820
fulkergm@oneonta.edu
Phone: 607-436-2834
Polly J. Smith
Chair of Sociology & Anthropology
Utica College
1600 Burrstone Road
Utica, N. Y. 13502
psmith1@utica.edu
315-792-3124
Dr. Fulkerson is Assistant Professor of
Sociology at SUNY Oneonta. He is co-author
of Critical Rural Theory and book review
editor for Rural Sociology.
Dr. Smith is Associate Professor of Sociology
and Chair of Sociology & Anthropology at
Utica College. She is co-author of Upstate
Down and Critical Rural Theory.
Colleges & Small Town Retail: An Analysis
Richard Florida (2004, 2007, 2008) argues that the economies of post-industrial societies
will be increasingly influenced by the actions of a “creative class” comprised of highly educated
workers, primarily from the knowledge and information technology fields. In short, Florida
argues that those cities that have qualities attractive to “creatives” will be more likely to benefit
from their presence. The ability to attract the creative class is not simply the result of the
presence or absence of historically conventional economic “pull” factors for communities (e.g.,
availability of blue collar jobs), but rather is deeply informed by the presence of high “quality of
life” indicators that include the performing arts, outdoor recreation, social activism, and other
social and cultural activities commensurate with post-material values (Inglehart, 1997). Such
values include leisure activity, environmental protection, animal rights, social justice, nonviolence/peace, and other ideals that largely grew out of the social movements of the 1960s and
1970s in the United States and Western Europe.
Consistent with Florida’s propositions, we wish to examine the conditions under which
the ‘creative class’ may be attracted to a given area by empirically measuring the presence of the
non-economic post-material quality of life indicators that act as the new “pull” factors. We
believe that the most logical starting point for this investigation is a focus on the most central
institutions that serve to promote “creative” cultural, social, and economic activities—namely
colleges and universities. A number of studies have hitherto suggested that colleges have a
positive impact on their home communities’ economic prospects (Maurasse, 2001), even if not
examined through the theoretical lens we wish to utilize. For instance, Pendall et al (2004)
noted:
Higher education contributes to Upstate’s economy in at least three ways: Through direct
expenditures on higher education and the indirect (multiplier) effects it generates; by
bringing out-of-state dollars into upstate; and by educating the future labor force.
Education enhances productivity, and productivity growth is essential for economic
success—especially for states like New York whose population and labor force are not
growing rapidly. (6)
In addition, Dietz (2007) suggested that part of upstate’s lagging economic performance was the
inability to attract college educated talent to the region. Building on this insight, Thomas &
Smith (2009) proposed that better utilization of the state’s colleges could serve to improve its
overall economic picture.
We wish to add to the ongoing study of small towns (defined as having a population of
less than 5,000) in eastern and central New York, by examining the impact of colleges and
universities and their influence on the retail base of downtown areas, checking for the
abovementioned indicators. The structure of central business districts will be coded according to
a common scheme used in other studies (e.g., Thomas and Smith 2009) that examines the
presence of certain economic activities, including (but not limited to) general and specialty retail,
art galleries, food service establishments, general services (e.g., attorneys and dentists), and civic
institutions. Preliminary data have already been collected during the summers of 2010 and 2011
and include vacancy data for downtown buildings—a measure of a economic non-viability. The
overall retail “profile” of college towns and similar communities that lack colleges will in turn be
compared. Thus far, our preliminary findings suggest that colleges and universities greatly
contribute to the viability of a community’s local retail base.
We would like to address the following research questions in the next stages of our
investigation:
1.
Does the presence of colleges/universities (comprehensive four year and beyond)
correlate with the presence of (post-material) quality of life indicators? What particular
indicators are more likely to be found in college versus non-college communities?
2.
In the absence of colleges/universities, which institutions, organizations, and actors
play the most central role in promoting the quality of life? Is it the presence of small
entrepreneurs engaged in cultural activities? Is it the presence of social and/or political
activist organizations (such as animal or environmental advocacy organizations,
sustainable and organic food organizations, etc.) that have a positive impact on postmaterial quality of life indicators?
3.
Do post-material quality of life indicators act as effective “pull” factors and thus
correlate positively with the presence of the creative class? Is this more or less the case
in college influenced communities?
4.
Do post-material quality of life indicators correlate with more economically viable
retail business districts in communities? How do colleges/universities interact with
quality of life indicators to influence the economic vitality of retail business districts?
In sum, we believe that addressing these research questions will help us to better grasp
the influence of the creative class in forging the "adjacent possible," as discussed by Johnson
(2010). This refers to the possible alternative futures that we are in the process of creating out of
present day decisions and actions. Enacting policies and practices today that promote the role of
colleges and universities as key social and cultural institutions for cultivating and attracting the
creative class will offer one “shadow future.” In turn, such communities may be able to benefit
from the resulting creatively-driven activity that follows. Conversely, decisions and actions taken
today that fail to nurture the conditions for the creative class will potentially lead a far less
attractive shadow future—one in which communities suffer from a dearth of innovation and
experience a lackluster quality of life.
References
Dietz, Richard. 2007. A Brain Drain or an Insufficient Brain Gain? Buffalo, N.Y.: Federal
Reserve Bank of New York.
Florida, Richard. 2004. The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work,
Leisure, Community, and Everyday Life. New York: Basic Books.
Florida, Richard. 2007. The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for
Talent. New York: Collins Business.
Florida, Richard. 2008. Who's Your City?: How the Creative Economy is Making Where to Live
the Most Important Decision of Your Life. New York: Basic Books.
Inglehart, Ronald. 1997. Modernization and Postmodernization: Cultural, Economic and
Political Change in 43 Countries. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Johnson, Steven. 2010. Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation. New
York: Riverhead Books.
Maurrasse, David J. 2001. Beyond the Campus: How Colleges and Universities form
Partnerships with their Communities. New York: Routledge.
Pendall, Rolf, Drennan, Matthew P.& Susan Christopherson. 2004. Transition & Renewal: The
Emergence of a Diverse Upstate Economy. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution.
Alexander R. Thomas & Polly J. Smith. 2009. Upstate Down: Thinking about New York and its
Discontents. New York: University Press of America.