Economic Development Growth Monitor Archives

Hawaii is Adding Facial Recognition at Airports as an Additional COVID-19 Detection Measure

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According to an August 28 report by Travel Weekly, Hawaii expects to have its facial recognition system in place and operating at five Hawaii airports, by year-end 2020. The facial imaging will be used in conjunction with temperature screening cameras to assist in monitoring and tracking arriving passengers at the more than 130 gates at Hawaii’s airports receiving out-of-state and international flights. Temperature screening cameras have already been installed at Hawaii’s airports.

With the screening cameras, any arriving passenger who registers a temperature above 100.4 degrees is asked to submit to a voluntary secondary screening conducted by paramedics. The five Hawaii airports that will operate with the facial recognition technology are: Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye Airport; Kahului Airport; Lihue Airport; Ellison Onizuka Kona Airport at Keahole; and Hilo Airport.

There are privacy concerns about the roll-out of this technology in Hawaii. But if deployed and effective it may make a significant contribution to Hawaii’s travel industry recovery. The facial recognition measure is in addition to other measures going into effect in Hawaii, including geo-fencing of guests at their resorts.

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California SB 1120 Would Allow Lot Splits and/or Duplexes on Single Family Lots

28.08.2020 Economic Development Growth Monitor

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UPDATED: SB 1120 did not pass this session, failing to meet California Senate voting deadline on September 1.

SB 1120 is nearing approval in California that would allow existing homeowners in the state to split their lots and built duplexes on each of the resulting subdivided parcels. Where a lot split is not possible under the law’s guidelines, that homeowner would be able to convert the existing home into a duplex or raze the house and built a new duplex. SB 1120 is authored by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), as part of an effort to bring more control of local land use planning to the state legislature.

State control versus local control of land use decisions is a complicated matter in California, related to the lasting protections of Proposition 13, the California Environmental Quality Act, affordable housing, community diversity and equity issues, and local municipal fiscal viability. And overall there is the push and pull of progressive political agendas and sensibilities of suburbanites who have relied upon their local municipal general plans in shaping how their communities will develop.

Of interest to existing homeowners of course, is the open question as to how SB 1120 would affect the quality of life they’ve grown accustomed to (and relied upon), and the value of their properties now situated in eclectic neighborhoods with unpredictable futures. It could work out well for all involved, but if SB 1120 is approved each municipality will have to do in balancing heights, sun/shade, setbacks, on-street parking, security, and the like, while local policing is likely also in some kind of reformation.

Click here to review the full bill as now drafted.

Port of Long Beach has Busiest July in its History; Other California Ports Also Spike

27.08.2020 Economic Development Growth Monitor

AEC’s Growth Monitor

Transport Topics reports that the ports of Oakland, Los Angeles, and Long Beach, have stayed busy during California’s fires, and in fact have seen busy summer volumes. For the Port of Long Beach, July 2020 activity was an all-time record.

The Port of Oakland saw a 33.4% increase in units processed in July 2020, over the same period in 2019. The Port of Long Beach reported July 2020 was the busiest month in its 109-year history – some 753,081 TEUs, a 21% increase as compared to July 2019. At the nation’s busiest port – the Port of Los Angeles – although units processed for July were not record-breaking the results for July were still the best of 2020 (so far), some 856,389 TEUs processed for the month.

Transport Topics reviewed port operating results for facilities throughout the U.S. California’s three ports mentioned here were among the best reported. The Port of Baltimore was among those ports still showing the largest activity drops since same reporting periods in 2019. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey did not have July numbers at press time.

The full article at Transport Topics’ website is an interesting read and can be viewed by clicking here: Ports Say Business Beginning to Recover

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New Research Reveals “Key Drivers” to Propel Urban Economies

24.08.2020 Economic Development Growth Monitor, News about redevelopment and regeneration

AEC’s Growth Monitor

Researchers at Northwestern University have just published some interesting research, about “The universal pathway to innovative urban economies.” The researchers analyzed industrial employment and population changes in 350 U.S. cities between 1998 and 2013, including over 100 million workers.

Key conclusions from the research include an observation that innovative economies start to emerge when an urban population reaches about 1.2 million people. Along with this scale inference, the researchers noted that the transition to an innovative economy depends upon a a city’s ability to attract and retain certain “superlinear industries.” Superlinear industries include the arts, entertainment, professional services, science, and information technology, each of which can grow out of proportion to underlying population growth.

As reported in SciTechDaily, one of the researchers wonders if the remote work promulgated by the COVID-19 virus and distancing may slow down the rate of innovation, in general. The thinking is that innovation may require the spontaneous and serendipitous insights that come with incidental human interactions. This insight certainly rings true for those that have managed collaborative and creative teams; sometimes the best ideas emerge even as the linear ideation and problem-solving proceeds.

An excellent review of the research is available at SciTechDaily, HERE. The research as published is available for full review on the website of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, by clicking here: AAAS Research – The Universal Pathway to Innovative Urban Economies.