lee county sdat presentation final

Lee County SDATOctober 2013

THE VISION“A Livable, Economically Diverse Hub for Sustainable Business”

Our Charge•Assess the feasibility of the Diamond Concept

•How and what it should be

• What the public and private sectors can do to make it happen

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What We Heard

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What We Heard

8

• What does the Diamond boundary mean?

• How can we be competitive nationally?

• We want to diversify the economy through innovative research and sustainable industries

• Is this a marketing exercise?

• Skyplex adjacency to the airport is a competitive advantage.

• Potential synergy with the University.

• Some DRGR and lands bordering on mines poses challenge for development.

• Effective public-private partnerships are essential.

• A concern planning won’t bear fruit

• People need to be patient. It will take time to achieve the vision.

• We don’t want “more of the same”

WE HEARD YOU WANT•A complete community to attract

families

•Walkable, comfortable setting with Transportation Choices

•Attract and retain FGCU faculty and students

•Distinctive architecture and landscape

•Cool things to do

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1. When Work Changes, the City is

Transformed

The prosperity machine of early industrialization grew cities and towns to a never-before-seen scale

When major change happened: Agriculture & Crafts to Factories – “Industrialization v.1”

© Freedman Tung + Sasaki 2013

“City as Machine” (CIAM 1933)

Industrialization v.2:City Pattern re-organized using Industrial Principles

• Economy Focused on Making & Moving Goods• Synchronized routines• Segregated land uses linked by vehicle “conveyor belts”• Mass consumption

Business park

Shopping Center

Housing Subdivision© Freedman Tung + Sasaki 2013

• When the nature of Work changes, the City is entirely transformed• (The Business Park was ushered in by a small group of business leaders)

Industrialization v.2: The Mid-20th Century Suburban Ideal

© Freedman Tung + Sasaki 2012

The Experiment FIT with the new industrial economy of the Era. New Technologies:

• Cars• Interstate Highways• Electrification• Air Conditioning

Taylorism (Fordism): • Central Control• Mass Production• Mass Consumption

Demographics:• Uniform H/H Structure

Cheap energy

Abundant accessible land

Massive subsidies

© Freedman Tung + Sasaki 2013

It became our culture’s development “consensus” on how to build.

Foundations of the Recent “Consensus” 1950 - 2007

1. The Open Road2. Demographics – uniform household structure3. Cheap energy4. Abundant, available and accessible land5. Massive government subsidies - home mortgages, strip

construction, highway construction & maintenance6. Fordist model of national economic development –

based on consuming homes, cars, and home appliances.7. Nostalgia - New generations of Americans learned to

associate sprawl with America

Foundations of the Emerging Consensus 2008 - ?

1. The Open Road2. Demographics – uniform household structure3. Cheap energy4. Abundant, available and accessible land5. Massive government subsidies - home mortgages, strip

construction, highway construction & maintenance6. Fordist model of national economic development –

based on consuming homes, cars, and home appliances.7. Nostalgia - New generations of Americans learned to

associate sprawl with America

Does the Mid-20th Century “Consensus” and its City format

still fit the needs of today’s economic activity?

Beginning in the 1980s: Wide-spread Digitalization

© Freedman Tung + Sasaki 2013

At first, many thought it was just a change in tools. But digitalization has led to

Fundamental changes in work activity

This process of combining ideasto create new possibilities…

+ =

+ =© Freedman Tung + Sasaki 2013

…is called Innovation and it has become the primary wealth-

generator in the new economy.

© Freedman Tung + Sasaki 2013

Saskia Sassen: the heightened importance of rapid creative invention has effected all industries – from mining and agriculture to electronics.

Innovation is a social processResearch has shown that

innovation comes from:

• Group collaboration rather than individual solitary effort.

• Interaction between people with different specializations, experiences, and perspectives.

Source: analytics20.org

• In the office and the lab• In the conference room• In cafes, bars and restaurants

• During breaks, recreation and leisure• Especially while socializing

Essential Principal: Innovation is fostered by providing settings that bring people together to collaborate and

exchange ideas

We are still designing our cities to meet the

needs of the old industrial economy

2. Reshaping the City

Leading cities (of all sizes) are beginning to understand:

To Attract, Build, and Servethe Businesses of Tomorrow, we must

Physically re-shape citiesto attract and accommodate the needs of

innovators

The Innovation Ecosystem: Dense Collaborative Network of Partners, Suppliers, Customers

The Innovation Ecosystem: Composed of Companies at Different Stages in their Life-cycle

Emerging: A Dynamic Mix of Uses(instead of the old habit of separating uses)

Hotel

BBC

StudiosUniversity of Salford

& iTV

Offices

BBC

Offices

BBC

Small-medium sized businesses

MediaCity – Manchester UK

Housing

Entertainment

HDTV

Emerging: A Range of Building & Workspace Types Mixture of space costs, sizes, and configurations to

match the needs of different work activity in close proximity

Established Corporate Space

Quality Medium Sized Space

Creative rehab – lower cost spaces

New lower cost, small scale space

The U.S. General Services Administration has embraced these ideas in planning and managing its properties:

Source: GSA Public Buildings Service White Paper, Leveraging Mobility, Managing Place (2010)

Reshape the City: Connectivity

Segregated land uses + arterial roadway system – failing as a habitat

Forces Undermining the Viability of the “Modernist” City:•Poor Accessibility•Rapid Consumption of Farmland, Natural Resources•Acceleration of Climate Change•Wasteful of Diminishing Fossil Fuel Reserves•Increasingly expensive for families

Emerging: Transit-Connected Hubs of Activity

• Multi-Nucleated Patterns of walkable, bikeable, mixed-use, denser development

• Integrated with a Transit Network offering modern, frequent service

Reshape the City: Activity

No activity focus or center

The Workplace District remains out of sync

Activity-generating retail is one of the most precious city building commodities. Urban vitality drives innovation and attracts “talent.”

The most important and most difficult decision in the design of the (suburban) metro area is where (and how) to strategically build the retail.

Centerless Workplace “Vital Center”

To foster creativity & innovationcities must provide “Vital Centers” with clustering,

density, mix, and settings for interaction

Classifying and locating these centersis a critical strategic decision cities must make

ULI Emerging Trends 2011: Commercial real estate needs to cope with “Era of Less”

“Most areas need less retail, not more. Endless strip construction is over. …. [we must] rethink how we deliver retail in better transportation-linked urban centers, moving away from car-dependent models”

Reshape the City: Amenity & Image

Plenty of Open Space but no “Public” Space

The Workplace District remains out of sync

The Emerging 21st Century Workplace District Model: Settings for Convenience, Interaction, Activity

SOMA near South Park, San Francisco

Promote “business livability” – developments and districts that respond to 3 scales of activity:

Quick Breaks • Immediately outside the building

Lunchtime Activity • Evenly distributed within 3 minute walk;

activated by food & drink businesses

After Work Activity• A central cluster within 10-15 minute

walk, bike, drive or transit ride; activated by restaurants, bars, fitness, convenience retail

To Attract Innovators:

© Freedman Tung + Sasaki 2012

Part 3: New Formats of Development in the Innovation

Economy

PREVIOUS ERA:Economic Value

• Attracting Talent• Training• Compensation packages• Services• Infrastructure/Building

Investment

Created by large corporate firms

Tap into the “Big-Firm Ecosystem” by attracting large firms

• Transportation access• Infrastructure

improvements• Financial incentives

(tax incentives, land write-downs, etc.)

PREVIOUS ERA:Economic Development

Wrigley

Change: The scale & complexity of business operations has increased dramatically

© Freedman Tung + Sasaki 2012

Change: Work is distributed among ahighly connected network of

specialized, collaborating partners

To be successful in this transformed economic landscape, Cities need to:

1. Attract and accommodate small and medium sized firms along with large ones.

2. Attract, produce and retain a pool pool of of Knowledge Workers.

CEOs for Cities survey of 25 – 34 year old college graduates:

• Almost 64 percent of them reported they pick where they want to live before launching a job search.

• They are about 90% more likely to live in close-in urban neighborhoods

The “creative class” craves vital centers

Streetlife Public SpacesTransit

Focus Exclusively on Attracting Big, Vertically

Integrated Firms

Physically re-shape citiesto attract and accommodate the

needs of innovators

+Assemble knowledge districts

that foster innovation and produce innovators

Industrial Economy Innovation Economy

Attracting, Building, and Servingthe Businesses of Tomorrow requires

a new approach to Economic Development

The emerging “Business District” ecosystem:

• City and Regional Centers (Downtowns)

• Workplace-focused districts• Revitalized Business Parks• Redeveloped Industrial Districts

• Institution-anchored districts• Educational Campuses• Medical Districts

© Freedman Tung + Sasaki 2012

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Smaller cities and towns are remaking themselves as hubs for the knowledge economy.

Livable cities draw creative people, and creative people spawn jobs. Some places you’d never expect—small cities not dominated by a university—are learning how to lure knowledge workers, entrepreneurs, and other imaginative types at levels that track or exceed the US average (30 percent of workers)

“Small Cities Feed the Knowledge Economy,” WIRED Magazine – May 31, 2012

1. Studies have shown that up to 80 percent of job growth is from existing businesses

2. In the new era of specialized, networked businesses, proximity matters

3. Focus on strengthening existing workplace districts / industry clusters

4. Target those industries related to existing City assets

Build on Local Strengths

• When Work Changes, the City is Transformed

• The City will be Reshaped• New Formats of

Development in the Innovation Economy

LEGENDStable AreaChange AreaInstitutional AreaNatural Preserve

Daniels Pkwy

Alico Rd

Terminal Acc Rd

Tree

line

Blv

d

Estero Pkwy

Corkscrew Rd

I-75

Stability Areas and Change Areas

RSW

FGCU

Current Economic Conditions

• Very large area to absorb • Glut of vacant space across

all commercial and industrial

– Low rents, marketwide

• Markets rebounding in 2013, but a long ways to go

Two paths• Wait for market trends to develop the area• Go after what you want

Waiting for market trends• Will likely result in

– Low density, low cost development patterns– Scattered absorption– Little cohesive identity

LEGENDStable AreaChange AreaInstitutional AreaNatural Preserve

Daniels Pkwy

Alico Rd

Terminal Acc Rd

Tree

line

Blv

d

Estero Pkwy

Corkscrew Rd

I-75

Stability Areas and Change Areas

RSW

FGCU

Potential Development Pattern

Institutional

Innovation Cluster

Tradeport/Industrial

Commercial Strip

Commercial Retail

Hospitality & Services

Residential

Natural Area

Entertainment

Terminal Acc Rd

RSW

FGCU

Daniels Pkwy

Estero Pkwy

Corkscrew RdI-7

5 Tree

line

Blv

d

Alico Rd

Potential Development Pattern

Institutional

Innovation Cluster

Tradeport/Industrial

Commercial Strip

Commercial Retail

Hospitality & Services

Residential

Natural Area

Entertainment

RSW

Daniels Pkwy

Terminal Acc Rd

I-75

Tree

line

Blv

d

Alico Rd

Potential Development Pattern

Institutional

Innovation Cluster

Tradeport/Industrial

Commercial Strip

Commercial Retail

Hospitality & Services

Residential

Natural Area

Entertainment

FGCU

I-75

Tree

line

Blv

d

Alico Rd

Corkscrew Rd

Estero Pkwy

Potential Development Pattern

Institutional

Innovation Cluster

Tradeport/Industrial

Commercial Strip

Commercial Retail

Hospitality & Services

Residential

Natural Area

Entertainment

RSW

Daniels Pkwy

Terminal Acc Rd

Tree

line

Blv

d

I-75

Alico Rd

Implementation

• Economic Development Approach• Policies• Capital Improvement Projects

Encourage development will require addressing• Innovation• Infrastructure• Quality places• Human capital

• Investment• Encouragement• Recruitment• Focus

throughthrough

Innovation

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Human Capital

Infrastructure

Place

Target industries• Aerospace• Clean technology

– Biomass, renewable fuel sources• Life sciences• Information technology• Health care• Medical devices• Freight and logistics• Travel and tourism

Investment

Encouragement• Business retention

– Airport related– FGCU

• Focus on human capital• Foster entrepreneurship• Education

Recruitment

• Long odds game• Requires focus, clarity• Customer service, capacity• Central points of contact,

role clarity

Focus• Consistent messaging• Leadership• Patience• Long-term payoffs

Policy• CURRENT: County General Plan Update

– Ensure that the Research and Enterprise Diamond vision is emphatically articulated in the Update.

– Define the resulting supportive regulations and catalytic capital investments

• CONCURRENT/FUTURE: Zoning & Regs Update– Where new formats critical, revise development

regulations to provide greater investment reliability (i.e. form-based) for both investors and neighbors

– The Land Development Code’s Compact Communities Regulations is an example and template.

“City as Machine” (CIAM 1933)

Industrialization v.2:City Pattern re-organized using Industrial Principles

• Economy Focused on Making & Moving Goods• Synchronized routines• Segregated land uses linked by vehicle “conveyor belts”• Mass consumption

Business park

Shopping Center

Housing Subdivision© Freedman Tung + Sasaki 2013

1. Very Restrictive Use Control (Use Separation)

2. Very Specific Density & FAR Control

3. Not Enough Building Scale, Type, Form, & Character Control

Conventional Zoning

Hard to envision and predict physical outcomes

TOOL – District/Form Based Regulations:

• Regulations that shape physical characteristics of buildings for compatibility, such as orientation, volume, relationship to the street, and architecture/massing.

• Regulations that are more flexible about adjacent uses that are compatible with each other (e.g. housing, workplaces, services)

• These provide greater investment security by insuring that new (or renovated) buildings will be located near others of similar type.

“Sense of place”• Understand the “pieces of city” (neighborhoods,

subdistricts) whose in-common physical and performance characteristics of development tell you where you are.

• Each “piece of city” has to have developments of physical coherence and regularity to make them recognizable, valuable and secure for investing.

The “Urban Transect” (from the Smart Code, v.7)

< < < OUTSKIRTS < < < > > > CENTERS > > >

Code Focused on Physical Outcomes1. District Zones / Standards 2. Corridor Frontages / Standards.

Land Use Zones District Zones

Define the Places for Incubators, Accelerators, Training Organizations, Technical Assistance, NGOs, Institutions, Regulators…

Capital Improvements• Priority Catalyst Projects

– Multi-modal street improvements– Transit links for highest-priority destinations– Boulevard Street Tree Plantings (ensure that Lee

County’s natural image remains visible along entry corridors)

• Public-private partnerships to enable high-speed internet connectivity opportunities (dark fiber activation, etc.)

1. Lead (or support) the vision2. Provide a reliable policy

context for investment at different scales

3. Ensure the emergence of critical physical elements (especially the infrastructure + public pieces)

The Public Agency Role:

Thanks!• AIA Florida Southwest• Lee County Port Authority• Florida Gulf Coast University• Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization• Real Estate Investment Society• Estero Council of Community Leaders• Horizon Council • Lee County Community Sustainability Advisory Committee• Alliance for the Arts• Lee County Board of County Commissioners• Lee County Departments: Community Development, GIS,

Transportation, Parks & Recreation, Visitor & Convention Bureau, Economic Development, Administration, Office of Sustainability

www.aia.org/liv_sdat