Fallows’ 11 signs a city will succeed and successful community and economic development activities

The 2016 article “Eleven Signs a City will Succeed” and the 2018 book Our Towns has influenced those interested in community development, causing many to list characteristics of place to demonstrate it will be successful in its development activities. But the “signs” have not been evaluated. This article explores whether those signs provide guidance to those working in community development. It explains the signs, operationalizes them, and tests them against common measures of economic and community well-being. It concludes with a statement about the usefulness of the signs as predictive measures and a discussion of the true nature of what the signs actualy represent.