The Knowledge Corridor is a great idea for Western Massachusetts – and for our neighbor Connecticut – whose time may finally have arrived.
The concept is that the I-91 and Connecticut River corridor houses 42 colleges and universities – including three of the top 100-rated schools in America. They serve more than 150,000 students in a region housing cutting-edge tech industries. This “megaregion,” with a combined 1.9 million residents, has statistics that eclipse other famous “knowledge” areas, such as North Carolina’s Research Triangle.
About a decade ago, people promoting the Knowledge Corridor said it could draw companies and entrepreneurs to this region, for new or expanded operations. The topic sparked several well-attended conferences.
And then the concept went quiet.
One reason was the death of Tim Brennan, the long-time executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, who was the multi-state champion of the Knowledge Corridor. A bigger reason was the difficulty of getting Connecticut, including its schools, to embrace the two-state idea. It’s always been tough to shape cross-border projects, almost as though a wall stands between Longmeadow and Enfield.
Jay Ash, president of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, who led economic development for Gov. Charlie Baker, was in Springfield on Thursday, speaking to the annual meeting of the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts. He outlined the competitive economic challenges facing the state and region, including projected population decline and the dearth of students for our universities. He said the Knowledge Corridor could be “the answer” to offset those trends and to grow jobs here.
We think Ash is on to something. This editorial page has long supported the Knowledge Corridor idea. This is the time, in Ash’s words, to “re-energize” the concept.
We hope new leaders in the region sign on, including Javier Reyes, the about-to-be installed chancellor at UMass Amherst, which has been fully on board with the concept in the past. At the planning commission, Brennan has a strong successor in Kimberly Robinson.
There is new leadership atop the economic development effort in Hartford. The new president of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Megan Burke, came to Springfield from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. Bradley International Airport, which serves the entire corridor, is thriving and adding new flights. And so on.
Massachusetts also has a new governor, Maura Healey, who is looking for ways to help Western Massachusetts and has named new staff to her regional office. The Connecticut governor, Ned Lamont, might be looking for ways to help the northern Connecticut economy.
What if the two governors came together and backed a significant joint grant to promote marketing of the Knowledge Corridor concept for mutual benefit?
The idea is as worthy as when first broached. The need is greater than ever. And perhaps the stars are better aligned to convert concept into action.