Tagged: economy

It’s 3:00 p.m. on a recent workday, and Buddy Yates sets off on the first leg of his long commute home. He and his guide dog, Palmer, step through the fast-food containers that litter the street on the way to Rainier Avenue South where he will catch his first bus.

More than a decade ago, Richard Florida’s best-selling book, “The Rise of the Creative Class,” was a cultural phenomenon. Florida argued that young, educated, single folks would reinvent American cities. Today, Florida's critics say the wealth of the creative class hasn't trickled down to the working class. What’s the evidence? Some places, like Tacoma, used Richard Florida’s ideas as a blueprint for reinventing their downtown areas. What was the outcome? We’ll explore these ideas with journalist and geographer Joel Kotkin and Tacoma arts administrator Amy McBride.

Boeing has announced it will lay off 800 machinists in the Puget Sound area this year. The company says workforce needs on two of its newest jet programs have been reduced.