Behold the Power of Books!

I just came across the March 2008 issue of the journal Public Management (agreed, it is not exactly Maxim, but I'm an economist, ok). That issue includes an article by Beth Pollard entitled "Libraries: Partners in Sustaining Communities. The author starts out with "Today's libraries are: ... A civic and economic anchor that attracts not only residents but the small businesses that they frequent, such as dry cleaners, grocers, drug stores, coffee shops and more." Wow, I have long argued that the number one thing an inner-ring suburb can do to revitalize a declining retail area is build a new library or (if they don’t need one) expand the existing library with a satellite in the declining area. And these strategies can be really cheap if, like most older suburbs, the retail infrastructure is way larger than what the market will support. Most mid-century strip malls are struggling because later full service malls and big box stores provide more attractive retail experiences for lots of the goods people buy today. As a result, older strip malls can be twice the size today’s market will support.

But I had primarily thought of libraries as something that brought a steady stream of local citizens to an area as a way of creating social energy that would attract other people and start a virtuous circle that could create a sense of place to the city and begin the revitalization process. What Pollard argues is that the benefits can be more significant. She adds: “In addition to the library’s role in supporting small businesses by providing research, databases, and seminars, a library can serve as a business attraction and retention function… A well used library brings a high level of pedestrian traffic… Some new libraries are part of mixed-use developments, with condominiums above and stores on the street level. The appeal of having everything in walking distance can be a great incentive for social and business activities.”

And Pollard describes how, as the best case scenario, the new Seattle library opened, its annual number of visitors jumped 299%. Of course, the Rem Koolhass designed building is an architectural tour de force. This outcome is not likely to be equaled in most cities.
At the end of the day, a new library that works not only as a repository of books, but as a community center, can bring a new focal point to a city that can generate the social energy necessary to create a much needed sense of place to declining midopolises. And if you look back at my last post, I wonder about the synergistic potential of mixing a new library with Appleseed Project type development?