A New Age
In our daily lives we pay little attention to where we fit in the broad strokes of history. A painter in Florence in the 14th century didn’t think they were starting the Renaissance Age. They were doing what they loved.
Taking a step back, however, we can speculate on how history will look back at our age. For the first time in generations, we see a bifurcation point in history. We have moved from the Industrialized Age to the Networked Age.
That’s what social entrepreneur Andy Stoll argued in a recent interview, and I tend to agree with him. For generations our system of work demanded hierarchy, control, and efficiency. We all grew up in this system, forced to ask for a pass to leave the classroom and go to the bathroom.
This system is changing and Stoll argues we can even point to a year, 2008, as the year when the tipping point was reached.
In this new age, innovation, creativity and the ability to connect are key skills. People are not required to pay their dues and work their way up the ranks before they can make a difference. Instead, they can quickly make something happen.
This tectonic shift in modes of work and mindset are happening to everyone. What’s fascinating is that some individuals and communities embrace this change, sometimes by necessity.
A Tale of Two Cities
In the past decade, we’ve seen two of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. The first you’ve heard of: Hurricane Katrina. The second may be new to you: the Iowa Flood of 2008.
New Orleans
Hurricane Katrina hit a New Orleans that was already struggling. It was rated the most dying city in America in 2005. Corruption was rampant and the vibrancy that made New Orleans special seemed to be disappearing.
After the hurricane, many of those in power simply left. Suddenly there was a power vacuum and new arrivals, many who came originally to help rebuild from around the world, decided to stay and recreate New Orleans.
As Stoll noted, the day after Katrina, everyone in New Orleans was an entrepreneur. There was suddenly an opportunity to rethink education, business, non-profits and what a city could look like.
By chance, New Orleans had a head start on the recession and the new Networked Age. Today New Orleans is the top brain gain city in the country, the second most popular place to shoot a movie (ahead of New York) and the “coolest place to start a business” according to Inc. Magazine.
All of this because residents were forced to reflect on what was possible.
Cedar Rapids
Three years later, Iowa faced its own Katrina as flooding devastated cities such as Cedar Rapids.
Over 1,300 blocks were inundated with water including most of the downtown area. Over 5,000 homes were damaged along with key buildings like the library, Paramount Theatre and the oldest mosque in the United States.
Among this ruin, Cedar Rapids was forced to reinvent itself. An estimated 6-7,000 jobs were lost because of the flood. This has hastened the pace of change from the Industrial Age to the Networked Age. New jobs and businesses had to be created, and naturally they took on the form of the new Networked Age.
Today residents in cities like Cedar Rapids are rethinking what a city needs in the Networked Age. Spaces for collaboration, public transportation, density in living spaces and events that bring traditional business leaders together with entrepreneurs are all on Andy’s list.
Get a Head Start on the Networked Age
All communities are in the Networked Age, but few have embraced it. Those that embrace this new era will have a head start and a better chance at thriving under the new modes of work.
New Orleans and Cedar Rapids were forced to rethink their communities due to natural disasters. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for tragedy to rethink what is possible.
Consider the new age of work. What can your community build to enable and encourage residents to collaborate, create and network?
By starting that discussion, your community has the potential to thrive.
Images: Start Up Communities and Boston.com
