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This Is Where You Belong

the Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live
Jun 08, 2017TheresaAJ rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
After move #6, Melanie Warnick began to wonder if it wasn't time to put down roots. She did her research and began a series of "Love Where You Live" experiments in her newest home, Blackburg, Virginia. This book shares her research and creates 10 avenues that range from "Saying Hi to Your Neighbor" to "Eat Local" to "Get More Political" to become attached to where you live. Her initial research began with the Knight Foundation's "Soul of the Community" study which uncovered two bombshells -- #1) the 3 qualities with the strongest correlation to place satisfaction and place attachment were social offerings, aesthetics, and openness and 2) the more emotionally attached residents were to their cities, the better their cities did economically. The Millenial generation has upended the traditional economic development pillars of a low cost of living, good schools, and hefty tax breaks. They're still important but another question has been added to the mix -- How good can you be for real people? When Oklahoma City lost a Southwest Airlines maintenance hub bid in 1991 because the company couldn't see its employees living there, the city took a hard look at its quality of life and invested tax dollars into an indoor sports arena, a downtown ballpark, a riverside entertainment district, a central park, a white-water kayaking facility, and many miles of new sidewalk and hike-and-bike trails. In 2015, Oklahoma City experienced more inbound population growth than outbound population loss. The opposite effect is happening in Kansas where a focus solely on low taxes has not created the expected economic boom. This is a very readable approach to the growing movement of placemaking for traditionally restless Americans. As the author learned, it can start with taking plates of banana nut muffins to your neighbors on national Good Neighbor Day. Now she's facing the possibility of leaving Blacksburg and not loving that feeling.