Norm Jacknis of Cisco gave an interesting presentation on community economics, innovation and jobs this morning at the Intelligent Community Summit in NYC.

Norm argued that jobs may be disappearing but that there will be many opportunities to earn a living.  He talked about how technology is and will continue to mean that location is less important as information is available everywhere.  He talked about the concept that chasing businesses is far less strategic than growing local businesses and that industry cluster strategies are out of date as technology overcomes distance.

Making people aware and enabling their use should be a community priority – helping lifelong learners access world class information and training and helping businesses use online technology tools are the most important strategies.

On Innovation, he discussed sustaining innovation which refers to constant improvements and technology adoption by organizations of all types.  This enables people to do more with less, but might actually decrease employment.  Disruptive innovation is different – it meets unmet needs and does create jobs.

Finally, he talked about the importance of creating a sense of place, both in terms of economic environment like creating a co-working space or business incubator and making the most of your community assets.  He showed several examples of dismal looking places being transformed through technology-based art.

Some good lessons for communities of all sizes!