Realtors have an old saying, the three most important factors in real estate are location, location, location. Those goofy bastards with their pictures on every flat surface nailed it with this turn of phrase. Location is not only important to where a piece of real estate is located though, it is important to every entity that operates in a location. Which should include about everyone, but Phoenix University. Every single entity that operates in a place, is affected by that place in some way or another. There is simply no way around that fact. These entities are concerned, day to day, with their own performance and this is understandable, but few pay attention to the performance of their place. The hospital seeks to provide better care. The school aims to churn out better students. The city wants to increase revenue and provide services more efficiently. The Chamber wants to drive more commerce. The tourism bureau wants to experience more visits. The private sector wants to increase cashflow and the investor wants to realize a higher return. This all makes sense, yet every single one of those goals is affected by the place in which they are located.

The hospital has to attract quality physicians, nurses and administrators, to provide better care. I see stories all the time of certain communities being unable to bring in quality health care professionals because people with means don’t want to live in certain places.

Schools need resources to pay good teachers and provide a quality learning environment. If the schools are located in a place where people don’t want to be, the resources needed to effectively run a school will be diminished and passing a school tax becomes increasingly difficult.

Local governments will struggle to bring in revenue in a place where people don’t want to locate their business or won’t pay a premium for a home.

The chamber will struggle to see commerce increase as people go to more desirable places to do business.

Visitors are attracted to quality places, tourism is monumental task in an average place.

Business requires consumers with means to thrive, consumers with means locate to quality places.

Quality places are desirable therefore are a safer place to invest money.

Everyone operating within a place, is affected by the performance of that place, yet how many of those entities take the time to consider how they can work together to improve that place? It happens in very few communities and they ones in which it does, outpace their counterparts considerably.

The way most communities operate would be as if everyone on a team was only working to pad their own stats. Their own performance was all that mattered and they never bothered to consider the performance of the team. While some of them may do a serviceable job, the team as a whole would be on par with the Cleveland Browns. Players on a team cannot operate as individuals and be successful just as entities in a place can operate independently and be successful. They are inherently tied to the place in which they are located and must work together to improve the place if they plan to be successful as stand alone entities. All the resources a community needs to be successful are already in place, but success only comes when those resources are directed towards a common goal.

A good neighborhood is one where people know one another and feel a sense of belonging and a responsibility to one another. A good city is no different. It’s just like a good neighborhood and the institutions are the neighbors. They must get together regularly and feel a sense of belonging and share a vision. A place is just like a team and everyone needs to work together to win.