Key Economic Indicators

Recently departed Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan was famous for his interest in mundane statistics and what they meant to the larger economic picture. He tied standard indicators like the consumer price index in with funky ones, like the number of cardboard boxes that were ordered in the quarter, to try to get the clearest picture of how things were doing in the economy.

Like Greenspan, I'm a curious sort, and I'm pretty much constantly observing that world around me. Our human brains were given the added feature of reasoning, so I also attempt to derive meaning from those observations. As anyone that reads this blog knows, I'm very interested in the health and growth of the city, so I often tie my empirical observation in with other growth metrics. Like Greenspan, the typical urban health metrics aren't enough for me.

Here are some I subconsciously use:

Number of young, attractive people on the bus:
This metric has weight on a couple of different levels. First of all, attractive young people attract attractive young people. Downtown needs to be the "happening" place, and people will be attracted to areas where they can meet and interact with exciting, interesting and attractive people.

The bus element is even more critical, as it shows that young people are abandoning the negative stereotypes about the bus, even if they have the means to drive. More young people on the bus means more people wanting to advocate a truly urban lifestyle instead of bringing a drive in, drive out mentality with them, and it means one less parking spot used at their destination.

Central Library bustle:
KC's new Central Library is a great accomplishment for the greater downtown cause. A conversion of an old bank building, it features an ornate setting with lots of space for people to use its resources. When I see people that are likely downtown residents using the library, I know that they are educated and interested in culture. Most importantly, they probably walked to the library, adding life and bustle to the streets.

Office Chit-Chat:
I came from a company that might as well have been in another country from the urban core of Kansas City, where most of the employees lived very isolated lives with little interest in the city center. Now, I work downtown and I get a different view. There are still plenty of people that complain about the city for the various tired reasons, but there are also a lot of people that are interested and excited about what is happening downtown. Every time someone asks me what they are building here or there or tells me they tried a new restaurant downtown, I know that is someone that has opened their eyes to the excitement of downtown. The chatter is good.

Bicycles:
Like the bus, this points to alternative transportation and all of the benefits that comes with. It also puts people on the street in a human-scaled way.

People Talking:
When people stop using the city as the place they work or the place they pass through on the way to other places, they start to interact with it. When people live here, they start to form a community with others that live here. Too often, I see people in isolation, focused only on their own paths without regard to the world around them. So, when there are a few people chatting on a street corner, making small talk at a bus stop or sitting around in a street-facing restaurant window shooting the breeze after a meal, I know downtown is becoming more of a community and less of just a place.

Amtrak:
When the trains let out at Union Station, the passengers enter one of our grand public spaces and walk to hotels or transit to begin enjoying the city. Straight to the heart of it all, no parking required.

Tourists/Directions:
When you think of hot vacation destinations, you don't often think Kansas City, so when I give people directions or hear people talking about KC from an outsiders perspective, I know that someone is being exposed to what is an underappreciated place. Tourism often places people on the streets, fills up the restaurants and supports transit. If tourists can use and love our resources, so can the people whose hearts we are trying to win over from the fringes of the metro. Hopefully, after I provide directions, that person will find their way again.

Good beer on tap:
This one might just be personal bias, but when I go to bars that have good, less common beer available on tap, I feel like the market it getting more sophisticated. When I see people opt for a local Boulevard draught over St. Louis swill, I feel good about the money that is pumping back into the local economy and that presence of mind or good taste of the consumer who makes that decision. Bars become places to enjoy and commune and less places to drink as much cheap alcohol as possible before getting sick on the way home.

Taxis:
This one is like the bus one, only without all the bus stuff. A little discouraging if the bus was a good alternative, but just as satisfying after the busses stop running or to strange places with multiple people.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Because I am deeply involved in all of this, I feel as if I can tell you more about what is happening in the city than anyone with "traditional" data at their fingertips.

My analysis? Regression analysis points to a distinct... er, who am I kidding? I don't have time for that, I'm too busy talking to young people on the bus, passing an ever-busier library on my way to my downtown home. Ah, community.