TO THE EDITOR:
Gov. Pat McCrory claimed in his recent State of the State address that North Carolina ought to be the “third vertex in a ‘National Innovation Triangle,’” according to the DTH. I hate to break it to Gov. McCrory, but that spot is already occupied by Austin, Texas. According to a 2013 ranking, Austin ranked ninth and 10th nationally in two indicators of venture capital activity. The Research Triangle placed 24th in both, barely making it into those rankings.
I lived in Austin for the 2013-14 academic year. That doesn’t make me an expert on Austin, but I saw a place exploding with creativity. It isn’t only computer programmers and engineers who are coming up with new ideas. Austin also has vibrant art, music, and film sectors that contribute to a unique interplay of ideas. Cities are the centers of innovation not only because they offer large labor pools and sources of capital. They bring about new things because they are the sites of cultural and intellectual mixing.
I commend Gov. McCrory for focusing on education in the State of the State. I am worried that a focus on skills that are considered marketable will undermine our outstanding cultural assets here in North Carolina. Let’s not downplay the great contributions the humanities make toward innovation and quality of life. A common saying in Austin is “Keep Austin weird.” We need to keep North Carolina’s unique character if we want to become that final vertex.
John Anagnost
Master of City and Regional Planning
