Showing posts with label city development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label city development. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The Interactivity within Economic Hubs Produces Financial Value



The value of an economic hub is its ability to draw in new resources and convert them to higher value products for exportation. The economic value of a system can be seen as the total value of exports minus the total value of imports. In other words, the cost of materials and production input should be of lower value than the export of higher end value products. Effective hubs create value by using their connections and resources in an effective manner to generate sustainable financial resources.

Markets have large, medium and small businesses that contribute to the development of strong hubs through the interaction of resources, communication (business and social), and innovation that turns lower value inputs into larger exports. The more effectively the business and social community can work together the more the economic system can grow for the benefit of all members.

In the diagram these transactions are noted in blue and may be larger or smaller based upon the value of the business relationships and the value of their transactions. When government runs efficiently and transparently the transaction costs of conducting business within a particular hub decreases. Where demographic and market information is easily accessible and transaction costs are low businesses will naturally be inclined to invest further in these lower risk markets.

Larger businesses often rely on medium and small business to supply their needs as well as improve upon their capacities. For example, some small businesses may take over functions outside of the core competencies of the organization (i.e. maintenance) to help ensure strategic focus. Other businesses may provide new innovative concepts that larger businesses adopt, develop and export on a larger scale. Still others export in the niche market.  Each relies on the other for success.

Investment within proper infrastructure can reduce this costs by lowering taxes, increasing the speed of information transference, and furthering the interaction of business entities for development. Each infrastructure project should have goals and objectives to improve upon the social and business platform to spur greater economic growth. As activities and investment increases so will the life quality of the inhabitants. They will find improved services, employment opportunities, and greater options for personal advancement.

Imports of materials, information, and knowledge denoted in red should be of lower value than the export of finished products and services denoted in purple. The value creation of the hub is based upon on how businesses and individuals use these resources to develop higher value products for exportation. Individuals invest their time and energy and companies invest their financial resources to develop better products and more opportunities.  Labor, Management, and Investors have an inherent stake to produce value.

Cities are generally the center of suburbs and are part of the same hub. In the global economy it is the larger macroeconomics of an area that takes precedence. The business, civic, and social connections will determine how effectively they can work together to solve problems and become economic viable. Some businesses will be located within the suburbs and others within the city but each is connected together through social and business connections that help ensure mutual self-interest in development. When they do not produce value or cannot create synergy they are considered dysfunctional.  Constructive connections and financial interaction often leads to higher levels of economic activity for members.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Economic, Social, and Environmental Resilience of Cities


Creating sustainability within cities can be difficult. A paper by Luigi Fusco discusses how cities can develop economy synergy by fostering creativity, resilience, and sustainability (2011). His work is more focused on port cities but does highlight the concept that human elements are important considerations in the development of cities that will survive change.  These factors may actually be measured to help ensure that cities are moving in the right direction. 

Creativity is a powerful energy source for redevelopment. With creativity people can solve problems, develop new products, and find new ways to doing things. This creativity helps develop an economic engine with new ideas and marketable solutions. 

Synergy can be seen as the relation principles that help discus the interconnected nature of business and people. As businesses and people connect together they develop interactions that can enhance the economic system. Synergy is based on these social and business networks that focus on a shared perspective of development. 

The author breaks down development into economic resilience, social resilience, and environmental resilience. The paper focuses primarily on creating sustainable eco-cities that are economically viable. The measurements are as follows: 

Economic Resilience:

Funding from local foundations and banks/year 

Innovative public procurement supporting local industries

Regeneration capacity of economic activities (variations overtime of innovative activities in the area/total number of activities)

Localization of new creative, flexible and adaptive activities

Density of networks among companies

Variation of informal sector economy

Industrial production activities integrated in spatial and social context/Total of industrial production activities

Innovative research activities/Total of research activities

Number of university spin-off/year

Incubators of activities

Number of design patents/year

Number of cooperatives enterprises/Total number of enterprises

Number of micro-businesses/Total number of enterprises

Density of networks among public authorities, enterprises and research center

Social Resilience:

Increase of social cohesion sense as reflection of circular economic-ecological processes

Percentage of reduction of unemployed people living in the area

Experiences of self-organization capacity in neighborhoods

Implementation and upgrading of existing “public spaces”(number of squares closed to traffic)

Conservation of elements expressing the area’s cultural identity and memory

Number of events, festivities, ceremonies, as expression of collective/social memory, in the year

Percentage of people involved in forums and participative processes/year

Involvement of the III sector in specific programs/projects/activities (housing cooperative networks, social housing associations, etc.)

Density of cooperative and partnership networks

Involvement of local people in urban planning

Capacity of learning from explorative experiences

Openness of people to differences and diversities

Level of interpersonal trust

Perception of belonging to a specific community

Number of donors/10.000 inhabitants

Environmental Resilience:

Reduction of vulnerability and risks levels

Conservation and increase of green areas (tree planting and maintenance, promotion of green roof and green façade)

Percentage of local materials used in productive processes

Conservation and improvement of landscape quality

Reduced car travel demand

Reduction of motor traffic

Air pollution reduction

Water pollution reduction

Recovery/recycling/regeneration of waste material (percentage of plastic, metals, tires, slag, cans, glass, paper reused, recycled and regenerated)

Water recycling (rain water percentage recovered)

Waste management (self-organized waste management)

Percentage of local renewable sources (new electric power plants localization, based on energy innovation) used in productive processes

Organic waste recycled percentage (local composting production/year)

Percentage of activities included in a smart energy grid (to use a variety of fluctuating energy sources)

Localization of new industries with a low environmental load (ISO and Emas certified)

Number of modern eco-compatible buildings/Total number of buildings

Luigi, F. (2011). Multidimensional evaluation processes to manage creative, resilient, and sustainable city. Aestimum, 59.