Quality of life is well recognized as an important factor shaping local economic development. To date, emphasis has been placed on external comparisons between communities. This article calls for an alternative approach to supplement quality of life comparisons. Internal monitoring of local trends is required to guard against deterioration that may harm future attraction. Quality of life should be viewed as a strategic resource to be managed for its long-term contributions to economic development. To illustrate, dramatic changes in one community, Austin, Texas, are reviewed and evidence is reported from a citizen survey. Highly skilled residents are found to be more sensitive to negative trends in the community's quality of life, threatening Austin's economic development plans aimed at high technology. The evidence indicates that employee retention, as well as recruitment, may be harmed by quality of life deterioration.
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Dowell Myers (1987) studied this question.