In the latest Houston Press, Rich Connelly has a little fun with urban commentator/self promoter extraordinaire Joel Kotkin, who has recently gotten attention for a study he did for the Greater Houston Partnership.
This was an entertaining exchange:
The Greater Houston Partnership, our area’s version of the Chamber of Commerce, commissioned yet another study about how this area should encourage growth. Cities like Atlanta and Charlotte have done the same thing, and come out with plans to attract young brainy types by hyping just how hip their cities are.
The report to the GHP by urban expert Joel Kotkin of Los Angeles, on the other hand, said Houston should forget about trying to be trendy.
Hair Balls: What, we’re not hip?
Joel Kotkin: I’ve always said if you need a campaign to prove you’re hip and cool, you’re not. Personally, I think Houston’s very cool…You know, I went out with [friends] to a sushi bar on Westheimer. It was 8:30 at night, it was winter and I swear I thought I was on the West Side of Manhattan.
HB: Whaaaat?
Yeah, that was our reaction.
But in a way, it’s good news. We don’t need to build that downtown soccer stadium to be like Manhattan. We’re already like Manhattan. Or at least West Houston is.
In some bizarre alternate universe.
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