My discussions and deliberations on the economic future of Baton Rouge have made me certain of three things, Baton Rouge Business Report Executive Editor J.R. Ball writes:
1] We need a lot more young, educated people of various backgrounds to call East Baton Rouge Parish home;
2] Our economic development efforts must be focused on the creation and growth of knowledge-based business sectors, such as medical research and digital and interactive media;
3] The first two will not happen unless and until we have a vibrant and thriving downtown.
Scoff all you want about the magnitude of downtown’s role in our future, but then explain why it is that every wildly successful economic region in our country has scrambled to have a downtown that breathes life 24 hours a day?
That’s because downtown areas essentially act as a region’s calling card to the rest of the world. To read the full column, click here.
