Quote:
Originally Posted by BuildThemTaller
Talking about Stanford and omitting the presence of Berkeley in the Bay Area is willfully ignoring the contributions of the state in catalyzing private investment. It would be like suggesting the reason that the Research Triangle in North Carolina is so great is because of the private tobacco money that flooded Duke in the early in 20th century.
Chicago, like the Bay Area, the Triangle, NYC, Boston, and others, has a mix of public and private higher education institutions that have helped maintain and sustain private investment (among other things). It's part of the reason that Detroit has failed to pivot while Pittsburgh has. Continuing to invest in things that can spin off the next group of successful private ventures is a smart move. Having a shiny toy that drives that point home seems like a decent idea to me.
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Agreed. Build places that attract young innovators (and a shiny campus on the Chicago river could do that for many college-aged students), then let them spin off and build the next amazing idea in their apartment in Avondale.
Yes, the state/city needs to do more to stop the bleeding of people from the city, but this type of investment is an important piece to what you're talking about, IMO. We can debate it's place on the priority list but I think we'd all agree it's on it. It's like a college investing in athletic facilities to attract better athletes. Whether the DPI itself contributes to some innovation is not really the point, the attention it attracts on the tech/science is what's important.