Exploring the microgeography and typology of U.S. high-tech clusters

Despite the principal role of high-tech clusters in local planning practice and research, their location and sectoral typology at the granular level have been rarely studied. This study explores the location of U.S. high-tech clusters at a micro-scale by employing firm-level data sets and spatial statistics and examines their sectoral typology using market concentration indices in 52 large U.S regions. The majority (80 %) of the 627 tech clusters we identify have multiple dominant tech industries or are specialized in professional services. Furthermore, while clusters form the major regional hubs for the high-tech economy, they are home to a very small share (7 %, on average) of regional population. U.S. regions also have widely diverse spatial patterns of high-tech clusters; although some regions have scattered clusters, the New York and Northern California high-tech booming regions have clusters concentrated in central business districts (CBDs). Last, U.S. high-tech clusters and the overall high-tech economy are strongly shaped by the location and performance of professional services, i.e., consulting, legal, computer, engineering, and architectural services

Negative Consequences of Innovation-Igniting Urban Developments: Empirical Evidence from Three US Cities

Emergent economic development policies reflect the challenges urban growth coalitions face in attracting the footloose tech-entrepreneurs of the global economy. This convergence between the focus on place and the harnessing of global capital has led to the proliferation of innovation-igniting urban developments (IIUD)—place-based economic development strategies to boost the local knowledge economy. Economic developers are using IIUD strategies to convert areas of the city into entrepreneurial “launch pads” for innovation. However, because these developments remain young, considerations to implement IIUDs lack an evidence-base to show the potential for negative consequences on the communities where they are embedded. This research addresses this gap through: 1) a review of studies of similar developments to identify negative consequences; and 2) using a quasi-experimental method composed of Propensity Score Matching and Average Treatment Effect analyses from IIUDs in three US cities (Boston, MA, St. Louis, MO, and Buffalo, NY). Combined, results demonstrate that the greatest implications of IIUDs are the increased polarized division of labor, housing unaffordability, and income inequality. As IIUDs gain in popularity, it is critical to correlate negative consequences with IIUDs to inform economic developers in assessing trade-offs

A Bike System for All in Silicon Valley: Equity Assessment of Bike Infrastructure in San José, CA

Investing in sustainable, multimodal infrastructure is of increasing importance throughout the United States and worldwide. Cities are increasingly making strategic capital investment decisions about bicycle infrastructure—decisions that need planning efforts that accurately assess the equity aspects of developments, achieve equitable distribution of infrastructures, and draw upon accurate assessment methods. Toward these efforts, this project uses a granular bike network dataset with statistical and geospatial analyses to quantify a bike infrastructure availability score (i.e., bike score) that accounts for the safety and comfort differences in bike path classes in San José, California. San José is the 10th largest U.S. city and a growing tech hub with a booming economy, factors that correlate with increased traffic congestion if adequate multimodal and active transportation infrastructure are not in place. Therefore, San José has been keen on becoming “one of the most bike-friendly communities in North America.” The City’s new plan, which builds on its first bike plan adopted in 2009, envisions a 557-mile network of all-ages-and-abilities bikeways to support a 20% bicycle mode split (i.e., 20% of all trips to be made by bike) by 2050. Hence, San José makes a perfect study area for piloting this project’s methodology for accurately assessing the equity of urban bike plans and infrastructures. The project uses the above-mentioned bike score (representing the bike infrastructure supply status) and San José residents’ bike travel patterns (to show bike trip demand status) utilizing StreetLight data to answer the following questions: (1) Where are San José\u27s best (bike paradise) and worst (bike desert) regions for cycling? (2) How different are the socioeconomic attributes of San José’s bike desert and paradise residents? (3) Has San José succeeded in achieving an equitable infrastructure distribution and, if so, to what extent? And, (4) has the availability of infrastructure attracted riders from underserved communities and, if so, to what extent? Using the bike infrastructure availability score, this research measures and maps the City of San José\u27s best and worst regions for cycling through geospatial analyses to answer Question 1 above. Further spatial and statistical analyses including t-tests, Pairwise Pearson correlation analysis, descriptive analysis, spatial visualization, principal component analysis (PCA), and multiple regression models to answer Questions 2, 3, and 4. In addition to this report, the findings are used to develop an open access web-tool, the San José Bike Equity Web Map (SJ-BE iMap). This research contributes to the critical assessment and planning efforts of sustainable, multimodal infrastructure in California and beyond

High-tech business location, transportation accessibility, and implications for sustainability: Evaluating the differences between high-tech specializations using empirical evidence from U.S. booming regions

© 2019 Studies on the accessibility needs of high-tech firms often draw on agglomeration economies and creative class assumptions that emphasizes how transit and walkability encourage clustering, knowledge exchange and innovation. As a result, some argue that knowledge-led economic development aligns with sustainability planning, especially as high-tech industries become increasingly tied to smart city agendas. However, due to the new logistic revolution, global e-economy, rise of online workers and urban land values, it is likely that some tech industries prefer strong highway systems, potentially leading to higher GHG emissions. As such, the relationship between the knowledge economy and sustainability outcomes remains unclear. This study addresses these gaps by quantifying the geography of high-tech zones in North Texas and Northern California, measuring their specializations, and exploring their differences in terms of transportation infrastructures. Our results only partially support research suggesting high-tech industries prefer dense, walkable, transit-accessible places. For instance, we found large numbers of high-tech firms (e.g. IT and aerospace) are still attracted to peripheral, auto-centric spaces, which is at odds with sustainable transportation policies. Hence, policymakers may need to revisit their growth strategies to not only succeed in growing their knowledge economy, but also secure sustainability goals

Pathway to Promote Diversity within Public Transit Workforce

There are many aspects of the transportation industry that can be focused on, but the lack of resiliency is one of the most urgent. Enhancing resiliency and creative problem-solving is essential to the industry’s growth and survival. But it cannot happen without building a more diverse workforce. Women still make up a small fraction of transportation workers, and African American and Hispanic employees are even less represented. These disparities are increasingly pronounced in many senior positions, particularly in STEM fields. Meanwhile, the public transportation industry is experiencing a severe and worsening workforce shortage and many agencies have reported substantial difficulty recruiting, retaining, and developing skilled workers. Considering the transit industry’s existing diversity and inclusion toolkits and guidelines, this project emphasizes lessons from in-depth interviews with leaders from 18 transit agencies across the country. The interviews illuminate the existing challenges and creative solutions around transit workforce diversity and inclusion. From the interviews, we discovered: 1) the critical factors that impact the current level of diversity and career mobility within transit agencies; 2) how diversity efforts help explore resources and provide opportunities for effective and robust employee engagement; and 3) the significance of evaluation systems in creating a more transparent recruitment process that initiates structural shifts, resulting in better recruiting. Moving towards inclusive and equitable workforce environments is a healing process that starts with understanding these gaps. We call this effort Healing the Workforce through Diversification

Fragmented or Aligned Climate Action: Assessing Linkages Between Regional and Local Planning Efforts to Meet Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets

Amid the rising climate change concerns, California enacted Senate Bill 375 (SB 375) to tackle transportation greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. SB 375 requires Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to develop a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), a regional transportation and land use vision plan, to reduce GHG emissions. Meanwhile, a local government can develop a Climate Action Plan (CAP), a non-binding, voluntary plan to reduce GHG emissions that may align with the regional SCS. Recent progress reports indicate California is not making sufficient progress to meet SB 375 emissions reduction targets, which raises important questions: (1) Are the transportation and land use strategies and targets in SCS plans reflected in the local plans to build sustainable communities? (2) Does the alignment of regional and local transportation and land use strategies mitigate GHG emissions through vehicle trip reduction? (3) How different are the effects of independent local action and alignment of local and regional actions on vehicle trip reduction? Through an in-depth content analysis of plans and policies developed by five MPOs and 20 municipalities and a quantitative analysis of the impact of local and regional strategy alignment on vehicle trip reduction over time, this study shows that the patterns of local and regional climate policy are diverse across the state, but poor alignment is not necessarily a sign of limited climate action at the local level. Cities with a long climate-planning history and the capacity to act innovatively can lead regional efforts or adopt their own independent approach. Nonetheless, there are clear patterns of common strategies in local and regional plans, such as active transportation strategies and planning for densification and land use diversity. Well-aligned regional and local level climate-friendly infrastructure appear to have the most significant impact on vehicle-trip reduction, on average a 7% decrease in vehicle trips. Yet, many local-level strategies alone, such as for goods movement, urban forest strategies, parking requirements, and education and outreach programs, are effective in vehicle-trip reduction. A major takeaway from this research is that although local and regional climate policy alignment can be essential for reducing vehicle trips, local action is equally important

The missing link between place and productivity? The impact of transit-oriented development on the knowledge and creative economy

Emerging research suggests that planners and policy makers should explore the expanded role Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) plays in promoting innovation and economic growth. TOD station characteristics including accessibility, walkability, density, and mixed uses may create environments beneficial for creative and knowledge industries. However, the evidence linking place to productivity, as measured by firm sales volume is lacking. Using cluster analysis and Propensity Score Matching for national-level data, this research tests these relationships. Findings indicate that firms located in dense, mixed use, and walkable TODs with higher levels of activity experience increased sales. Hence, TOD and knowledge-based economic development strategies should be planned in tandem to maximize outcomes

A comparative study of the physical elements in Shiraz traditional districts with the features of CPTED approach

Neighborhood space and district is an issue that has been forgotten in contemporary architecture of cities. With regard to the quantitative increase of districts and also the increase of a unilateral physical view towards them, their security declines and consequently the capacity for crime increases in the residential spaces and fear of crime occurrence among the residents of the districts. In the environmental design, the CPTED attitude is one of the most effective approaches to enhance security. The main pivot of this article is to study the rate of agreements of the physical elements of old districts of Shiraz with the features of CPTED attitude. The research method is a combination of descriptive and analytical and historical methods and the necessary information has been collected by using the systematic visual taking tools, regulatory checklists, and documentary sources. The results of this research show that the applied principles in the design of historical districts of Shiraz are close to the stable principles of this method. This research presents an opening to the localization of efficient approaches like this which can help with the increase of the security of residential districts. This objective as the pivot of this research has been presented within the framework of concluding remarks. On this basis, with regard to the identity of the Iranian residential districts identity, certain approaches have been presented based on CPTED approach. Having considered them in the process of design, it can lead to the increase of the security in the designed residential districts proportional with the Iranian identity

Fragmented or Aligned Climate Action: Assessing Linkages Between Regional and Local Planning Efforts to Meet Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets [Report]

ZSB12017-SJAUXAmid the rising climate change concerns, California enacted Senate Bill 375 (SB 375) to tackle transportation greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. SB 375 requires Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to develop a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), a regional transportation and land use vision plan, to reduce GHG emissions. Meanwhile, a local government can develop a Climate Action Plan (CAP), a non-binding, voluntary plan to reduce GHG emissions that may align with the regional SCS. Recent progress reports indicate California is not making sufficient progress to meet SB 375 emissions reduction targets, which raises important questions: (1) Are the transportation and land use strategies and targets in SCS plans reflected in the local plans to build sustainable communities? (2) Does the alignment of regional and local transportation and land use strategies mitigate GHG emissions through vehicle trip reduction? (3) How different are the effects of independent local action and alignment of local and regional actions on vehicle trip reduction? The study results are exhibited in an ArcGIS web application (https://arcg.is/1LPav01) using the Alignment Score metric. The research team developed this metric to quantify the local and regional climate policy alignment. The Alignment Score is a weighted value based on the auto-trip reduction impact of each climate strategy. The web application displays five web maps with the overall Alignment Scores for each of the 25 analyzed cities and the scores for four climate strategy categories (Transportation, Land use, TDM, and Cross-cutting issues)

Mechanical cleaning of graphene using in situ electron microscopy

Avoiding and removing surface contamination is a crucial task when handling specimens in any scientific experiment. This is especially true for two-dimensional materials such as graphene, which are extraordinarily affected by contamination due to their large surface area. While many efforts have been made to reduce and remove contamination from such surfaces, the issue is far from resolved. Here we report on an in situ mechanical cleaning method that enables the site-specific removal of contamination from both sides of two dimensional membranes down to atomic-scale cleanliness. Further, mechanisms of re-contamination are discussed, finding surface-diffusion to be the major factor for contamination in electron microscopy. Finally the targeted, electron-beam assisted synthesis of a nanocrystalline graphene layer by supplying a precursor molecule to cleaned areas is demonstrated