NEW YORK CITY—Alessandro Piol, co-author of “Tech and The City: The Making of New York's Startup Community,” in the chapter “Angels in New York: Collapse and the Birth of a Community,” interviews Scott Heiferman the founder of MeetUp.com. Heiferman says before 9/11, he had no interest in his local community. But following the horrific terrorist attack, his interest in talking to and getting to know his neighbors grew. He saw the strength of what people could do when organized. Heiferman then created MeetUp, so individuals in a community could organize.
The book states, “Now the world's largest network of local interest groups with over 11 million members in 45,000 cities in 2012 … is just one of the new ideas and businesses arising from the rubble of the 'first' Silicon Alley and the Twin Towers.”
At the heart of any thriving city are people who need jobs and places to work and live. This requires investments in businesses and cities.
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Betsy Kim
Betsy Kim was the bureau chief, East Coast, and New York City reporter for Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com. As a lawyer and journalist, Betsy has worked as the director of editorial and content for LexisNexis Lawyers.com, a TV/multi-media journalist for NBC and CBS affiliated TV stations in the Midwest, and an associate producer at Court TV.
