Most of Southeast Florida has felt significant momentum in the entrepreneurial and technology sectors of the community. Increased attention from the press, ad hoc meeting places and events are occurring more frequently, and people are coming out of the woodwork to participate and be involved. In fact, many in the Palm Beach area are interested in cultivating our corner of the state into something more of a community. Last month, I was party to a large group who were passionate to be represented and have their opinions on community improvement heard. It’s all very motivating and makes me feel like this year is going to see significant milestones for what we want to accomplish. Unfortunately, I have not seen anyone come to the table with the idea of a product.

Details that focus on employment ratio, improving job creation, raising median salaries, better cooperation between universities and local business are important and require attention. But, there should be a vision; a ten-thousand foot view that can anchor the individual efforts of the larger community. What sort of amenities and features do you desire around the area that you work in? How about around your home? How much exposure and participation do you want your business to have with the rest of the community? What types of businesses do you value in your community? 

These are the sort of questions that’s been kicking around our office the past few months. By understanding the characteristics which are most important, we can answer the more difficult questions. What physical locale is most ideal to incubate the type of community I want? How can we engage existing businesses and infrastructure in this locale to help complement our community?

As an exploratory effort, we built a spreadsheet to capture these details. You don’t need to be quite so pedantic, but you should have a good vision of what your community will be like ten years from now. Care to share one requirement you have for your community in the comments below?

We’ll be asking this question and sharing our plans for a new Makerspace at an upcoming community growth meetup. If you have ideas to share or want to find out what we’re working on, please join us on January 31st for the lowdown!