by Archana Subramaniam by CNB![]()
Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: MONDAY, March 22, 1993 TAG: 9303220399 SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
QUALITY OF LIFE
VIRGINIA TECH professor Thomas Johnson offered several insightful observations in a talk last week to the Ferrum College Regional Business Symposium. Here are two of his points, which are mostly common sense but bear repeating anyway:
The region's natural amenities - its rivers and forests, mountains and clean water, etc. - are a crucial resource. They help attract the sorts of people who can add value to services and products in a global marketplace, and thereby help the local economy grow. But amenities-based growth must be managed well, or the basis for growth will be depleted and destroyed.
Some factors bearing on economic-development success we cannot change to our advantage; others we can. The latter include the quality of cooperation among local governments, the quality of life supported by public services, and - above all - the quality of the schools. Of "critical importance" is the region's "less-than-world-class primary and secondary education system," warned Johnson.
Is anyone listening?