Richard Florida

Local Networks Help Communities Turn Relationships Into Shared Opportunity

At Aspen Ideas: Economy in Tulsa, Tommy Loper of the Aspen Institute argues that communities can have many programs yet remain “systems poor” if the organizations behind them lack strong relationships. In a Tulsa nonprofit cohort, network mapping showed a 120% increase in collaborative links, 90% of them between organizations working together for the first time, Loper said. He argues that building these connections helps communities make better use of existing institutions and tackle shared problems.