Wednesday, January 11, 2012

SPUR Report 2012 :: The Urban Future of Work

The Urban Future of Work - Executive Summary

As the Great Recession continues, what path does the Bay Area need to take in order to rebound?

High unemployment rates and slow employment growth continue to threaten our economy. Once-successful sectors are in decline. Even the workplace itself is in transition. New technologies and ways of working have disrupted everything from the speed of a typical product cycle to the amount of real estate a company needs.

But as our economy changes, the emerging story is also a positive one. While many formerly robust industries are struggling, the Bay Area’s innovative knowledge services sector is growing quickly, led by companies such as Google, Facebook and Twitter. And while technology allows us to work remotely, the role of the office is becoming even more important. Companies are finding that they need the vibrancy and density of an urban-style environment in order to collaborate, innovate and stay competitive.

How can we capitalize on the Bay Area’s successful knowledge services sector and its trend toward density and interaction to strengthen our region’s economy?
In this SPUR report, we make the case that there is a strong link between density and job growth. In fact, we believe that locating jobs closer to transit, and closer to one another, will be key to the Bay Area’s long term economic growth.

We recommend 20 strategies for increasing density, strengthening the regional economy and promoting job growth.

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The mission of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association is to promote good planning and good government through research, education and advocacy.

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SPUR_The_Urban_Future_of_Work.pdf Download this file

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