LAFAYETTE – A little over five years ago, I slapped this headline on a column about Greater Lafayette’s quality of life: “Seriously, what’s wrong with this place?”
The blowback in the inbox and the social media DM wasn’t necessarily kind, despite the relatively upbeat conclusion coursing through that discussion, coming on the heels of an out-of-town consultant’s brutally honest – and ultimately invigorating – assessment of what and who Greater Lafayette was and what it could be.
The upshot in that morning’s paper, given the blunt talk and suggestions made across 54 pages of “From Good to Great: Making Greater Lafayette a Community of Choice:” There’s nothing wrong with this place, as long as we’re able to be honest with ourselves, admit what we are and say out loud what we really want to be.
The mail that followed was predictable: If you or anyone else has a problem, maybe you’re what’s wrong with this place. There are roads heading out of town, you know …
“That report wasn’t meant to be easy,” said Erin Easter, whose job as vice president of Greater Lafayette Commerce includes overseeing the business group’s quality of life efforts. “That whole process wasn’t meant to be easy.”
But “From Good to Great,” no matter your take on it and the 1,500 interviews and surveys that fed it, proved to be a guiding force in many ways since it came out in 2012. Not so much in a recommendation-by-recommendation way, necessarily.
But it forced conversations among community leaders about the bits and pieces of culture simmering just below the surface – bicycle commuting, trail systems, a growing crowd craving walkable downtowns, a pent-up desire for better nightlife and more – and what those meant when it came to recruiting businesses.
And it brought out the fact that companies and entrepreneurs, in turn, weren’t joking when they said they knew they had to recruit employees who wanted more than just a paycheck when they accepted a job. People wanted a place they enjoyed living. Otherwise, forget it.