The Cost of the Conduits is Too High!

One might easily imagine the dispersal of knowledge through society as freely flowing through conduits - much as pipes for electrical wiring or channels for water. But how effective are flows of knowledge today, since knowledge protection via rival use means diverting channels to pay the bills? What happens, if conduits for knowledge dispersal in society become so limited, that citizen participation essentially dries up like a river which no longer meets the ocean? Already, we observe where limits to productive agglomeration in prosperous regions are cutting off other avenues for getting things done - not just in the U.S. but across the globe.

That said, by no means are today's knowledge conduits the only ones faced with excessively high costs. Main Streets in general have similar requirements for getting things done. Unfortunately, when the sought after "show horse" versions of retail landscapes don't function as planned, full scale working horse versions aren't often permitted in their stead. Johnny of the blog Granola Shotgun, describes the "working horse" model and how simple it could be to implement, if only it were feasible to do so. He recently visited a flea market which was

composed of an old asphalt parking lot, tents, and portable shipping containers. There isn't anything about the place that costs much to build or maintain yet it functions like a traditional human scaled Main Street with mom and pop shops. 

This was no "fashionable" flea market, either. Rather, it contained essentials and much more:

Quite a few vendors were selling tools suitable for small scale businesses. Landscaping equipment, carpentry implements, compressors, and restaurant supplies could be purchased by people looking to start their own micro enterprise on a tight budget - possibly right there at the same flea market. The whole place was one giant interactive incubator. 

There were plenty of tasty meals to choose from and even inflatable slides for the children. He continues:

This place is a work horse. It grows small businesses from scratch without recourse to bank loans or government subsidies. It provides products and experiences that are genuinely needed in the community. And it costs almost nothing to create compared to the usual economic development model meant to induce artificial prosperity through tax holidays and subsidies for mega projects. Notice how any parking lot is instantly ADA compliant for people in wheelchairs who require a barrier free environment. This is amazingly good urbanism built in the absence of complex bureaucratic proceedings. 

So why don't local governments embrace more of this sort of pop up grass roots mom and pop enterprise? Officials are in a trap that requires them to boost the tax revenue to pay for all the attenuated infrastructure and municipal overhead that's accumulated for decades.  

Alas, municipalities are caught in the same show horse mindset for time based high skill services. Granted, there are vast troves of information and retail possibilities in the digital realm for individuals to access, especially when Main Streets are missing in action. But these economic options don't even come close to replacing the economic dynamism and person to person interaction that were once taken for granted at local levels. Apparently these timeless versions of free market activity could only be recreated by citizens who inexplicably now need exclusive permission, not only to take part in simple physical retail, but also today's knowledge centered economy.

To be sure, some overhead costs have evolved as ways to minimize "riff raff" and security risks. But the perceived need to keep up appearances has completely backfired for countless communities and millions of individuals who wish to take part in local business and service opportunities. More flexible building and infrastructure components, and permissions for knowledge use are needed. Chances are the new landscapes for retail and services wouldn't often resemble the flea markets of yesterday, but they still need to be equally simple to assemble.

Affordable components and permissions for living and working, would mean millions more can get back up and start over, even after they've assumed risks which proved too extensive. Who doesn't want to appear successful, especially since appearances have been legally required in most environs? Hence it's somewhat understandable that business people take excessive risks for the success signal, up to a point. Yet just the same, many individuals with successful flea market operations ended up making the leap to brick and mortar locations, then had no thriving flea market to return to, afterward.

What is not understandable, is the lack of economic options with safety valves that cushion the hard landing of individuals who unsuccessfully assume risk. Without those safety valves, individuals exit only reluctantly after many attempts to stay connected, and their lives can be irretrievably lost to solitude in the process. We need a new version of opportunity zone, one which makes far fewer exits necessary. Opportunity zones could create flexible permissions and incremental ownership options for those who are directly invested, not just outside investors who are expected to maintain the high cost status quo. It should not always have to cost so much to participate in economic life. People should not have to give up on vital connections years or decades ahead of schedule. All the more so, since demographics have shifted in ways which include needing to remain employed as long as possible.