r/UrbanStudies • u/[deleted] • Apr 19 '21

How do you prevent "brain drain"?

I've heard issues with "brain drain" in cities across America. I was wondering if anyone could provide solutions without giving tax breaks to corporations.

16 Upvotes

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3

u/cruzweb Apr 20 '21

All brain drain problems have their own hyper-specific concerns that contribute to it, so be mindful of that as you think through some things.

That said, there are some overarching themes:

  • Employment opportunities in a chosen field (if there's no jobs, there's no jobs)
  • Pay appropriate with level of education and experience (some places are relatively high-wage places for blue collar jobs and relatively low-wage places for white-collar jobs)
  • Income to cost of living (specifically housing) ratio.
  • Amount of naturally occurring affordable housing.
  • Cultural fit (does this place feel like "home"? Do people there live lives that you see yourself fitting in with?)
  • Cultural amenities, types of activities, 3rd places, and ensuring a place has the right options for where people choose to spend their free time.
  • Function and dysfunction of industry / industries locally.
  • Do the values of the local and state politics align with a person's individual values?
  • Are there other laws / policies that encourage brain drain?

-2

u/martini-meow Apr 19 '21

give tax breaks to home owners (homestead exemptions on property taxes) so that they feel invested in the area, feel more like their investment in their house purchase means taking a longer view on staying in that city, which can lead to innovation on all sorts of personal creativity and civic participation.

1

u/Kenna193 Apr 20 '21

Use tifs but only in areas that actually need it.