On July 12, 2011, Lynn Degenhart resigned from his post as a member of the New Mexico Passenger Transportation Association board with a message titled “Ethical Concern.”

Who doesn’t make bad choices, whether it’s choosing the brownie for breakfast instead of the banana or picking the life partner who lasts much less than a lifetime?

It’s late afternoon in March, and spring is blooming. Roughly 50 of Santa Fe’s movers and shakers are gathered in a small building that resembles a slick, revamped old church, with bright white walls culminating into a triangular point in the center of the ceiling. Creative Santa Fe, the arts and culture nonprofit whose broad mission is to improve the city’s “creative economy,” is announcing a new direction after seven years of inaction, mostly on the city’s dime.

The plan: The problem, Jacobs says, is multifaceted. To make Santa Fe more accessible to tech start-ups, affordable workspaces—such as the Lena Street Lofts—need to be created or professionals need alternative means of exchange; workers need the time and opportunities to throw ideas around; and the technology infrastructure needs to be improved.

I have been studying cities with a group of colleagues for some time, including what makes them more or less successful. Our research shows, among other things, that a city’s success is often predicated on good infrastructure that connects city dwellers not only to the outside world, but also to their neighbors and institutions within the city, especially those that promote new ideas with economic applications.

The plan: Stop tinkering with an outdated school model, and start talking about types of learning that will help Santa Fe thrive today.

Standing behind a coffee-decorated cart situated in Concrete Jungle’s front patio, a scarf-clad Phil Santos prepares espresso, condensed milk and soda for a concoction he invented, called “Hola Cola.”

The plan: “Ignite the entrepreneurial ecosystem” by creating a pilot program to assist selected “entrepreneurial fellows.”

The plan: Dominguez’ plan for boosting the economy is based on diversification, promoting and encouraging other enterprises that generate gross receipts taxes from sources that don’t depend on tourism.

The plan: Wilson spearheaded the BizMIX Challenge, a competition through which locals can submit business plans in the hopes of receiving a micro-stimulus grant to realize their vision. Any type of business will be considered, just as long as it is well thought out. “We are hoping for a lot of different types,” Wilson says. “We feel like there must be plenty of Santa Feans out there who are right on the cusp of exciting business developments and just need that final monetary push.”