Esri Tapestry Segmentation Northwest Indiana Data Lifestyle

“It would be great if policymakers could take advantage of these tools when planning their communities,” said Michael Lunn, managing director of NWI Commercial Property Solutions in Crown Point.

These statistical tools allow you to compare geographic areas by stereotyping their populations into groups with a set of similar physical characteristics, social attitudes, and purchasing behaviors.

“Then we look at whether there is a concentration of these groups across the country,” Lunn said.

The fun for analytics enthusiasts like Lunn is comparing and contrasting national data with regional data for the same demographic. This snapshot of today can be combined with a vision of tomorrow to predict broader trends 10 or 20 years from now.

Lunn envisions these key trends for the next 10 years in Northwest Indiana.

First is the generational transfer of wealth from baby boomers to millennials.

“I have clients who are in various stages of selling or going out of business. They plan to retire within the next 10 years and are looking for a buyer. Or, when they die, their children will take over the business. and commercial real estate acquisitions,” Lunn said.

Many of these baby boomers are eager to cash out their lifetime earnings and go play with their winnings.

“As companies change hands, new leaders emerge,” Lunn said.

Politically, the aging boomer generation will eventually cede control to a younger generation that thinks and acts very differently than their parents and grandparents.

“I hope that neo-Marxist ideas, which divide the world into oppressed and oppressors, will be seen as a way to pit us all against each other,” Lunn said.

Like other forward-thinking business executives, he believes the region’s intermodal transportation capabilities, Port of Indiana, interstates, railroads, and Gary/Chicago International Airport will bring land-based manufacturing to Northwest Indiana in the long term. I predict it will be profitable.

“This is a strength that will bring manufacturing back to the Midwest,” Lunn said.

In the long term, supply chains will move from storage only to manufacturing.

“This creates a need for trade schools and people who want to work with their hands, even if it’s just fixing robots,” Lunn said.

Another major trend we are already experiencing is the continued population movement from Illinois to Indiana and a similar population movement from the north end of Lake County to the south end. This ongoing migration dictates key socio-economic factors.

Environmentally, climate change could benefit the region, in part due to its proximity to the Great Lakes and its trusted assets. Lake Michigan has always been one of our deepest resources here, attracting tourists and settlers alike. As a result, “overtourism” is now a concern in the Indiana Dunes tourism industry.

“We’re working hard to prevent that from happening here,” said Michelle Zenderhauf, the organization’s communications director.

“Indiana Dunes Tourism is no longer promoting the beaches as much. Instead, they promote other outdoor activities like hiking and paddling and other things to do in the Porter County community. More to Indiana Dunes If we’re going to attract tourists, we want them to stay overnight, enjoy our restaurants, buy gifts in our stores, and, as we say, ‘shake off the sand on the south side of the dunes.’ ,” Senderhauf said.

I’ll discuss this topic in more detail in a future column.

“We strive to provide a quality experience for our visitors while positively contributing to the quality of life for our residents,” said Kristin Livingston, interim president and CEO of Indiana Dunes Tourism. I am committed to doing so.”

Quality of life is a key driver and indicator of analytical demographics.

Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (now known as Esri) offers Tapestry Segmentation, which divides U.S. neighborhoods into 67 different market segments.

Neighborhoods with the most similar characteristics are grouped together, and neighborhoods with different characteristics are separated.

Segmentation systems work on the theory that people with similar hobbies, lifestyles, and behaviors seek out others with the same hobbies, or “like attracts like.”

Esri’s Tapestry Segmentation Project classifies U.S. neighborhoods into 14 LifeMode groups, which are further categorized into different consumer segments with common characteristics. For example, Metro Renters is in the LifeMode group “Uptown Individuals”. Other groups include “Bright Young Professionals,” “Green Acres,” “Workday Drive,” and “Rustbelt Traditions.” (We’ll discuss this comparative data in more detail in a future column.)

“Rust Belt Traditions represents a large market of stable, hard-working consumers with modest incomes but an average net worth of nearly $400,000,” Tapestry Segmentation’s website states. “Family-oriented, they value spending time at home. Most have lived, worked, and played in the same area for years.”

“Workday Drive is an affluent, family-oriented marketplace with a rural feel,” the site says. “Residents are interested in new homes that are away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but close enough to commute to professional centers. I prefer family-oriented work.”

Bright Young Professionals is a large market primarily located on the outskirts of metropolitan areas. These communities are home to young educated and working professionals. More than one in three of her household heads are under the age of 35. This group, in particular, is underrepresented in northwest Indiana when compared to national data.

“You could call it a brain drain,” Lunn said.

For example, Green Acres, a lifestyle group characterized by country living and independence, is well represented in Crown Point. This profile may change your preconceptions about the growing city. (For the full report, see the online version of this column at NWI.com.)

The next decade and beyond will be a time when baby boomers will have to let go and the next generation will have to take the reins. This major change will also incorporate demographic trends.

“My hope is that history will guide us to find ways to use technology for good, to improve the quality of life and expand the frontiers of humanity, rather than repeating the socialist experiments of the past.” Lan said. “I am optimistic that we will get this right and that Northwest Indiana will continue to improve the quality of life in this region and become a place that families will call home and continue to thrive for generations to come.” I am.”