THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 27, 1995 TAG: 9502240036
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
There's something superficial and therefore suspect about rating places by the numbers. Still, cities that score high in these contests boast about the honor and try to capitalize on it. So the middling score for Hampton Roads in a study by Forbes ASAP magazine is worth a look.
The magazine quotes Citicorp's former chairman, Walter Wriston who said capital will ``go where it's welcome and stay where it's well-treated.'' With that in mind, Forbes ASAP ranked the 100 largest U.S. cities in 11 categories to decide which are the best places to do business.
Southeastern cities that might be regarded as our competitors for business investment scored in the top 15 - Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham and Washington. Another trio scored in the mid-30s - Baltimore, Greensboro/Winston-Salem and Charlotte.
Neither Richmond nor Hampton Roads placed in the top 50. Richmond was 56th; Hampton Roads 63rd. Our region scored above average in only two measures of 11. Hampton Roads ranked 4 out of a possible 5 in state and local taxes and scored a solid 5 in overall cost of living. However, that score was undercut by a below-average 2 in cost of housing.
Altogether, Hampton Roads received 5 scores that were below average. We scored badly in number of immigrants, a curious measure that Forbes says has a high correlation with business climate. The rationale? ``The bigger the pool of immigrants, the better your chances of finding talented workers, skilled and semiskilled.''
Hampton Roads also scored badly on some more-conventional measures. Ease of air travel was found to be below average based on size of airport and traffic level. Clearly, that's accurate. It's better to live in a hub city, but there's not a lot a community can do about that.
Hampton Roads also scored below average on quality of life, a category even Forbes admits is a subjective catchall that includes health care, transporation, crime, the arts, recreation and climate.
Boosters will quibble about all these criteria, but it's fair to say climate and recreation are not a problem. The arts are a mixed bag with some bright spots and some gaps. Health care is competitive, but crime is a serious problem in parts of Hampton Roads and transportation needs improvement.
This region is not the easiest to get around, and that's a particular drawback in a port city where moving the goods is a major industry. Looking forward, Hampton Roads is going to have to do better to make itself accessible and easy to navigate. Daily backups at tunnels and bridges, clotted highways and inadequate mass transit are not selling points.
The final below-average score is in the category Forbes calls High-End Brains, knowledge workers with smarts and unique talents. The magazine argues that these are the ``franchise players'' of the information age who can live where they choose. So, what influences their choice? The Forbes answer is a major university and a high percentage of the population with a college education. Brains flock together, in other words. Hampton Roads scored below average on both measures.
If these criteria really do spell the difference between success and failure in attracting the businesses of the future, Hampton Roads must pursue policies aimed at lowering the crime rate and cost of housing, providing better transportation by air and by land, an open door to immigrants, a major university churning out more college graduates and an improved arts environment. Survey or no survey, that's an agenda worth pursuing. by CNB