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I am curious, do you think your city would benefit from having a higher percentage of its metropolitan jobs in the CBD? For example, if 10% of your metro's jobs were located downtown, would you want that number to be 15% or higher?
I was thinking about this earlier and trying to identify pros and cons. If more people worked downtown, that might increase the vibrancy in terms of dining, entertainment options, shopping, sights, etc. but that would also increase traffic congestion going in and out of downtown. More people working downtown might also mean more people living downtown, thus raising costs of all kinds in the immediate area especially in property taxes and the need for better infrastructure projects like public transportation; however, it might also lessen the need for sprawly development elsewhere. There are many things to consider.
So what do you think, would you want a higher proportion of your area's jobs to be located downtown? Why or why not? What in your opinion would be a desirable ratio between CBD jobs and metro-wide jobs?
Absolutely - while the resident population has grown (20% in the last 10 years) Center City Philly is flat on jobs. There is a host of issues with city wage tax that have hurt the DT whereas the burbs have a lower tax in the Philly area.
Philly has also been expanding areas outside of DT but within the city; like moving GSK and Urban Outfitters (the HQ not the store) from Center City to the Navy Yard with these Keystone Opportunity zones that offer tax incentives. While it keeps jobs in the city they have moved from the DT.
There was actually just an article in the Times though about a finance firm (forget which one) that moved from Manhattan to CT and is now losing and having trouble attracting talent because they want to live in the city - wonder if that bodes well for other DTs and jobs
More jobs can only be a good thing. However, on a selfish note, I'd welcome it if only if they increase capacity on the trains. As it is, I can barely squeeze myself onto a train in the morning if I'm going down during rush-hour, and sometimes they are so crowded, I've missed trains because there is simply no more room, no matter how hard people try and squeeze in. Sometimes I feel like my subway station would benefit from Tokyo style 'subway pushers'.
More jobs can only be a good thing. However, on a selfish note, I'd welcome it if only if they increase capacity on the trains. As it is, I can barely squeeze myself onto a train in the morning if I'm going down during rush-hour, and sometimes they are so crowded, I've missed trains because there is simply no more room, no matter how hard people try and squeeze in. Sometimes I feel like my subway station would benefit from Tokyo style 'subway pushers'.
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
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Not necessarily, but I wish downtowns had more of the regional HQ's and employers. I realize this would INCREASE the downtown population but that's more of a side effect of what I prefer than the actual goal.
It's a wonderful thing to add jobs. Nashville was just named the new U.S. headquarters for IQT, Inc., a Canadian tech company and is adding 900 jobs downtown, mostly for young, tech-savvy men and women. For the 'burbs, that's not that unusual, but this is really huge for downtown. I say bring them on.
Eh, folks, I'm not talking about job creation or job growth, I'm just asking if you would prefer a natural redistribution of jobs towards the downtown from other parts of the metro. Sorry if there was any confusion.
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