HR&A is producing NYC BigApps 2014, the largest civic technology competition in the world. BigApps, sponsored by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and global tech firms, awards over $100,000 in prizes to teams that develop apps, connected devices, and other digital products that improve civic life in New York. For those of you in NYC, we invite you to be our guest on July 19th at the first-ever BigApps Block Party at Brooklyn’s Industry City – a day-long expo with food and entertainment, where over 100 contestants will demo theisr products and compete to advance to the BigApps finals. RSVP here!

Since January, HR&A has led all aspects of BigApps’ design and implementation, including developing the competition’s structure, timeline, and guidelines; designing an interactive web platform; raising private funds for prizes and events; recruiting and managing relationships with more than 100 partner organizations and individuals; marketing the competition to entrants and the public; managing the submission and judging process; and producing eight high-impact events.

As BigApps and other city-supported programs show, New York City’s tech sector is reshaping our economy, public policy, and neighborhoods. Our growing knowledge of the city’s tech sector has included evaluations of tech’s impact on the City’s economy, leveraging tech to improve public policy, and cultivating the tech ecosystem in targeted neighborhoods across the city. HR&A authored the April 2014 report “The New York City Tech Ecosystem: Generating Economic Opportunities for All New Yorkers,” commissioned by the Association for a Better New York, Google, Citigroup and New York Tech Meetup. The study also offers substantive public policy direction for nurturing the future success of the ecosystem, and by extension, New York City itself.

We have worked with public and private stakeholders to help New York City’s neighborhoods plan for the growth of the tech sector, leading the real estate and economic analysis portion of the strategic plan for the Brooklyn Tech Triangle, an area encompassing DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard; and designing and producing Take the HELM, a NYCEDC- and Lower Manhattan Development Corporation-sponsored competition designed to diversify the Lower Manhattan economy by attracting tech and creative firms downtown.

HR&A has been advising communities on the creation and rejuvenation of innovation and technology districts for over a decade. We are thrilled to be a part of these exciting assignments and to continue to expand our breadth of services in the tech sector. We look forward to participating in more projects that support the innovation economy and city-building nationally and around the world.

What is BigApps all about? Watch the video below for a 1-minute animated synopsis!

On May 22nd, 2014, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger and the Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) unveiled HR&A’s study on the Downtown housing market in Burlington, Vermont. HR&A analyzed housing market conditions and growth patterns in Downtown Burlington, and then benchmarked recent market performance against that of comparable cities across the country. HR&A also provided recommendations on how the City can foster strategic housing development in targeted locations in and around the downtown.

Despite a vacancy rate of below 1% in downtown Burlington, indicating significant demand for housing, the city has only added 222 new housing units over the last 10+ years in its Downtown and Waterfront neighborhoods. Much of this new construction, which accounted for only 8% of the total number of units developed throughout the region, is either subsidized affordable housing or high end market rate apartments and condominiums. Downtown Burlington is therefore experiencing an affordability crisis: households who cannot afford high end units, yet have too much income to qualify for subsidized affordable units, struggle to find housing. The city is losing young professionals and families to surrounding jurisdictions as a result.

HR&A’s recommendations include targeting development in Downtown-adjacent neighborhoods, strategically locating new student housing developments to free up existing building stock, providing land and economic incentives to the development community, and linking housing investment to broader economic development goals.

Over the past year, HR&A has provided housing development strategies to public sector clients in several cities. Our experience includes, but is not limited to: supporting affordable housing policy development in Arlington, Virginia; developing an affordable housing strategy for the City of Atlanta; and supporting downtown housing development in Austin, Texas.

Learn more about our study in the City’s press release, Vermont Public Radio, My Champlain Valley, and in a comic published in Seven Days. Find a full copy of HR&A’s report on the City’s website here.

HR&A Advisors received Solar One’s Sustainability Achievement Award at Solar One’s annual Revelry by the River Gala Dinner on June 11, 2014. Chris Collins, Executive Director of Solar One, presented the award to Candace Damon, Vice Chairman of HR&A, noting her involvement with the organization since its inception. Mr. Collins spoke of HR&A’s central role in shaping Solar One’s business plan and sustainability focus, and praised the firm’s innovative green energy financing and sustainability work in the public and private sectors.

The Solar One Sustainability Achievement Award is awarded annually in recognition of those people and institutions that are making a significant impact on the environment. Past honorees include Sir Richard Branson’s Carbon War Room, HSBC USA, Ashok Gupta of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Jeanine Behr Getz of Kids Think Big, Glen Dailey of Jefferies & Co., and actor Matthew Modine.

Originally founded in 2004 to manage Stuyvesant Cove Park and a small environmental education center, Solar One quickly grew into an award-winning organization with a thriving array of programs promoting urban sustainability and education reaching all five boroughs. Solar One’s innovative programming includes managing the Energy $mart Communities program for NYSERDA, creation and management of a Green Workforce training program for green jobs, and management and maintenance of Stuyvesant Cove Park, the city’s first sustainably-managed park, on the East River. HR&A is honored to receive this award, and we look forward to continuing our work in creating a sustainable and more resilient New York.

In May 2014, HR&A Advisors and Parsons Brinckerhoff were awarded the American Road and Transportation Builders (ARTBA) Transportation Development Foundation Globe Award for their work on the NY Rising Community Reconstruction (NYRCR) Program. Recognizing excellence in the protection and/or enhancement of the natural environment in transportation planning, design, and construction, the award was given in acknowledgement of the team’s development of several innovative transportation initiatives to enhance community resiliency across New York City. The award was presented at a special luncheon on June 12th in Washington, DC.

HR&A’s work on the NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program (NYRCR) has been part of its broader involvement in helping to plan for and implement a resilient future for the Sandy-impacted region and beyond since October 2012, which has included Jamie Torres Springer’s participation in the NYC Mayor’s Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR), in the City’s subsequent analysis of the feasibility of a multipurpose levee to protect much of Southern Manhattan, in the federal government’s innovative Rebuild By Design competition, and in the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities initiative.

The NYRCR is an initiative of the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery to provide revitalization assistance to New York communities most severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and Tropical Storm Lee. Funded by the State’s allocation of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding, the first phase of the NYRCR program provided resiliency project funding to 45 communities throughout the State. HR&A and Parsons Brinckerhoff worked with State-appointed Planning Committees in the New York City communities of Breezy Point, Broad Channel, Howard Beach, Lower Manhattan, Red Hook, Rockaway East, and Rockaway West to develop Community Reconstruction Plans. Submitted in March 2014, these Plans contained ideas from NYRCR Planning Committees and the public for 81 wide-ranging projects to be funded with a CDBG-DR allocation of $108 million to address physical, social, and economic resiliency.

Projects proposed by the NYRCR Planning Committees include community relief centers to provide emergency and year-round services, small business resiliency technical assistance programs, and financial assistance for stormwater mitigation measures. All of the communities also proposed far-ranging initiatives to enhance coastal protection.

Among the 81 proposed projects were eight recognized by ARTBA that specifically focused on increasing the resiliency of transportation systems and services. These included strategies to enhance the redundancy of the transportation system on the Rockaway Peninsula in the event of a storm, including expanded ferry service, a bus circulator service, and a comprehensive bike-share network. Other projects included a new ferry landing in Red Hook and the recommendation of a direct bus route from Red Hook to Lower Manhattan.

Now that these NYRCR plans have been submitted, the second round of the NYRCR planning process has begun. During this round, HR&A and Parsons Brinckherhoff will be supporting the Brooklyn communities of Canarsie, Bergen Beach, Georgetown, Marine Park, and Mill Basin, and several Bronx waterfront communities. These communities will spend the next seven months discussing resiliency challenges and developing strategies and project ideas to envision a more resilient future.

Read the first round NYRCR Plans on the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery website at the links below and watch a video about the program on YouTube.

Breezy Point Community Reconstruction Plan
Broad Channel Final Reconstruction Plan
Howard Beach Community Reconstruction Plan
Lower Manhattan Community Reconstruction Plan
Red Hook Community Reconstruction Plan
Rockaway East Final Reconstruction Plan
Rockaway West Final Reconstruction Plan

On Monday, June 2, HUD Secretary Donovan, Mayor de Blasio, Governor Cuomo, Governor Christie, and Senator Schumer announced two HR&A-supported proposals as recipients of funding for HUD’s Rebuild by Design competition. HR&A contributed to these proposals with an economic framework for resiliency investments and a public-private approach to implementation that draws on project value for funding.

Hunts Point Lifelines. Image Courtesy of Olin

HUD announced a $230 million award for implementation of the first phase of the OMA team proposal for a Comprehensive Urban Water Management Strategy to defend the community of Hoboken, New Jersey, and neighboring areas in Weehawken and Jersey City. The strategy includes a four-pronged effort to resist storm surge with new coastal defenses; delay and store precipitation with a citywide green infrastructure network; and discharge floodwater via an enhanced network of stormwater pumps.

HUD also announced a $20 million award for further study of “Hunts Point Lifelines,” a project led by PennDesign/OLIN for which HR&A provided market and economic analysis. “Lifelines” envisions a peninsula-wide resiliency strategy, including a perimeter levee that incorporates recreational access to the waterfront, a network of cleanways that function as both stormwater mitigation and roadway improvements, and an independent district energy grid that ensures continued food access during storm emergencies.

The Commercial Corridor Resiliency Project: Red Hook

HR&A also led a finalist team with Cooper, Robertson & Partners, focused on the resiliency and vitality of commercial corridors and retail destinations throughout the flood-impacted areas of the northeast, including Red Hook, the Beach 116th Street corridor, and Asbury Park. The team included physical design proposals to enhance commercial resiliency from the individual business to neighborhood scale, and outlined programs to support capacity-building and technical assistance for businesses.

HR&A is proud to support this important work, and continue our work to support the Sandy-affected region’s recovery and path to future resilience. Read more about these exciting projects in Crain’s and the Wall Street Journal.

On May 22nd, 2014 the Obama administration announced the launch of the Strong Cities, Strong Communities National Resource Network (the Network) to help cities across the U.S. identify and implement new and practical solutions to facilitate their path to economic recovery and growth.

“America’s economic strength is driven largely by local leadership,” said HR&A President Eric Rothman. “We look forward to working with our Network partners to help cities across the U.S. realize more innovative and inclusive economic development through this exciting new partnership.”

The Network is administered by a consortium selected by HUD though a national competition and funded with an initial $10 million in federal investment. Joining HR&A in the consortium are Enterprise Community Partners, Public Financial Management, New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service, and the International City/County Management Association.

HR&A is leading the consortium’s on-the-ground consulting activities in several cities starting this year. The consortium will provide technical assistance to approximately 80 cities over the next three years.

“The Network represents a new way of delivering economic development solutions to local governments – one that is demand driven and amplified by innovative uses of technology and peer-to-peer learning” said Stockton Williams, Managing Principal of HR&A’s Washington, DC office and Deputy Executive Director for Engagements for the Network.

The Network delivers three core services:

• Support for Implementing Solutions: The Network deploys teams of private and public sector experts to work with cities on-the-ground to implement locally identified projects and initiatives that will deliver economic benefits in the near term.
• Access to Networks and New Ideas: Through structured peer networks and innovative uses of technology, the Network empowers creative, collaborative problem solving targeting the toughest economic challenges facing America’s cities. The Network also generates real time analysis and policy recommendations that inform local, state, and federal action.
• On-Line, On-Demand Access to Expertise: The Network’s website provides an unprecedented on-line library of tools, resources, and technical assistance opportunities that support and enhance the work of local leaders — including country’s first “311” resource for public agency staff working on fiscal, economic, and community development issues in cities across the country.

HR&A’s leadership role in the National Resource Network deepens the firm’s 30-year practice in economic development across the nation. Read more in the press release and follow the Network on twitter @NatlResourceNet.

HR&A’s Rebuild by Design team proposes innovative resiliency investments for businesses in the Sandy-affected region.

In early April, HR&A’s multidisciplinary team submitted its final proposal for Rebuild by Design, focused on concepts that will enhance resiliency and economic vitality of the region’s coastal small business corridors and the neighborhoods that surround them.

HR&A Advisors has been a leader in resiliency planning in the northeast in the aftermath of Sandy, including Jamie Torres Springer’s role in the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency, our work managing NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program efforts for New York State, and participation in the innovative Rebuild by Design process. We are also proud to be working with the Rockefeller Foundation on its 100 Resilient Cities initiative to develop resilience strategies around the world.

Rebuild by Design is a competition initiated by the Obama administration to develop and implement innovative concepts for resiliency in communities impacted by Hurricane Sandy. HR&A led one of the 10 teams of international design and planning firms throughout the 8-month process.

The HR&A team’s recommendations include program and design proposals for three study areas and one regional initiative, all of which support both flood protection and commercial revitalization, recognizing that the two can go hand-in-hand in innovative ways: from local associations of merchants taking collective action to the use of new commercial and mixed use property as flood mitigation infrastructure.

Proposals for Red Hook, Brooklyn, include large-scale infrastructure investment to create a neighborhood-wide integrated flood protection system, and an implementation strategy for identifying a local organization to oversee community planning and manage construction. For the Beach 116th Street corridor, proposals include a pilot of a building mitigation program, support for community planning, and expansion of the recently-established Beach 116th Street Partnership merchants association. In Asbury Park, we recommend a beachfront integrated flood protection system, restoration of the City’s coastal lakes, and urban design initiatives with the aim of uniting the City’s communities. We also recommend creating a regional program for building mitigation, starting with expanding New York City’s Business Resiliency Investment Program and creating a New Jersey Shore-wide initiative, providing funding and technical assistance to business and property owners to carry out resilient improvements.

The jury, including HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, will ultimately select projects from the pool of ten teams to receive Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding for planning and implementation.

In August, 2013, the HR&A/Cooper, Robertson & Partners team was selected, from approximately 150 submissions, as one of the ten teams to particpate in the Rebuild by Design competition. Additionally, HR&A provided economic and policy advisory to support the Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)-led team and guided economic strategy for a third team led by OLIN and PennDesign.

Follow the latest on Twitter, and read more about the final proposals in New York Magazine, Curbed, and Gothamist.

The New York City Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development, Alicia Glen, unveiled HR&A’s study on the NYC Tech System. A consortium consisting of HR&A, the Association for a Better New York (ABNY), Citi, Google, and NY Tech Meetup released the study detailing the impact of New York City’s “tech ecosystem”. The study also offers substantive public policy direction for nurturing the future success of the ecosystem, and by extension, New York City itself.

HR&A Director Kate Wittels noted that “The spectrum of tech-related occupations — from programmers to sales reps — is creating well-paying and quality jobs for New Yorkers at all levels of educational attainment. Fostering the growth of the New York tech ecosystem will increase economic opportunities for all New Yorkers.” The tech ecosystem contains 291,000 workers who work in tech industries or perform tech functions for non-tech firms. The economic activity engendered by these direct jobs supports 250,000 additional jobs throughout the City’s economy, and generates $125 billion in total spending and over $5.6 billion in annual tax revenues.

Over the past decade, New York City’s tech ecosystem has grown by 18%, while total jobs have only grown by 12% in the City. The New York City tech ecosystem is also providing critical opportunities for workers with and without college degrees – 44% of all tech ecosystem jobs do not require a Bachelor’s degree; these jobs pay 45% higher hourly wages than other jobs in New York City with the same educational requirement.

Over the past several years, HR&A has contributed to developing strategies to grow New York City’s tech ecosystem. We managed the Take the H.E.L.M. competition to attract creative economy tenants to Lower Manhattan and are managing the NYC BigApps 2014 competition to facilitate the creation of mobile and web applications that leverage City data to solve civic issues. In addition to these programs, we were economic advisors for the Brooklyn Tech Triangle plan to enhance downtown Brooklyn’s tech sector.

Find a full copy of the report at www.nyctecheconomy.com and follow the buzz on twitter: #nyctecheconomy. Learn more about our study in the New York Times, Crain’s, Tech President, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and on NY1. Listen to Kate Wittels discuss the study on WNYC here.

Last week, Andrew Tuck of Monocle 24’s The Urbanist interviewed John Alschuler on HR&A’s role in shaping cities today. In his conversation with Mr. Tuck, Alschuler explains how HR&A participates in the global economy by advising its clients on issues that surface in neighborhoods and are solved in City Hall. Alschuler explains that the narrative of New York City is both “shaped by the wills and passions of over 8 million people, and it’s shaped and managed by the mayor.”

For the complete interview, visit Monocle’s website here.