(2009-03-14) Heiferman Social Stimulus

Scott Heiferman on Social Capital as Economic Stimulus. To do this, we need to face a very practical barrier to the proliferation of such groups: America simply doesn't have a great, quiet Third Place for a group to meet! (This is a key learning from the millions of meetings hosted by Self Organized groups on MeetUp.) StarBucks, homes, and old municipality or religious space often don't cut it. We need thousands of 21st century community centers - places where local groups can meet to build community together. Retail space (Real Estate) is cheap and abundant in many parts of the country because of the crisis. Now's the perfect time to offer grants to local entrepreneurs who can turn some of this space into financially viable meeting venues - call them Organizing Centers - for community groups of all kinds (from job-hunting groups to learning groups). Local businesses can service this new activity and make them vibrant. In many places, these centers would help create a public square where none exists.

Hmm, that Real Estate is still owned by a business, which would have to not only offer much-cheaper rent that the (old) market value, but avoid the onerous terms usually associated with commercial leases (e.g. personal guarantees). I'm sure there are spaces where this can be done, but I bet it's a much smaller chunk, at least so far... (I Commented)