location

Two sites worth exploring further include 1.)the intersection of Caffin and N Galvez and, 2.)the southern end of Caffin as it meets the Mississippi River.  One is the former site of the commercial hub for the neighborhood and the other is the site of former industry with prime port access.

The argument for industry located at the crossroads is the idea that the space was easily identified as the place to go for residents to eat, ‘make groceries’, and get a haircut.  The space functioned as a neighborhood central market with commerce on the surface and social roots running deeper.  This was the location where ‘everybody knew everybody’s business.’  If you were short on cash and couldn’t fill your prescription at Walgreen’s, you went to H & W Drug Store where they put it on your tab.  Other local entrepreneurs included: Russel’s Grocery, Melvin’s Barber Shop, Keith’s Grocery, Baily’s Food, Pierre’s Cleaners, Caffin Theater, H & W Drug Store, Caffin Ave. Food Store, Big Chief Dairy Queen, and other notables like a pizza shop, a novelty shop, a fish market, and even a methodone. (see link: Caffin @ Galvez)

The argument for industry located at the end of Caffin is obviously the fact that industry was already there.  There is easy access to port facilities, rail, and existing industrial infrastructure.

9th Ward To Host Economic Cluster

Can the 9th Ward support the Hurricane Protection Building Methods Industry?  Click on the link and judge for yourself:

9th Ward to Host ‘Hurricane Cluster’

cluster synthesis

Two precedents out of thousands have been noted: Dalton, Ga and Grimsby, UK.  Both have economic success and provide live-work communities, but they each have unique backgrounds. 

Dalton became the ‘carpet capital’ organically.  The current economic cluster form as it exists today began with an accretion of successful ventures that multiplied virtually exponentially.  No doubt, infrastructure has grown as a result of industry versus industrial growth as a result of infrastructure.  Geographically speaking, there is no reason why Dalton, Ga enjoys the success of the carpet industry.  It is not a port city, it is not a thriving metropolis with a limitless workforce, nor does it have a raw material base close at hand.  What it does have is State sponsored support in the form of infrastructure, educational training, and tax incentives that make it attractive and competitive within its market.

Grimsby, on the other hand, is a geographically important city that grew industrially based on its access to raw materials(fishing) and its processing of those materials.  The live-work community as it exists today thrives on the fact that it is a port city, has a large population resulting in a large workforce, and has a raw material base close at hand.  It is important to note the decline of industry within the city and the city’s efforts to reinvest itself by means of commercial ventures, tourism, and education enhancement opportunity(the Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education).

I believe that when thinking about the 9th Ward as an economic engine, it falls somewhere between these two precedents.  Comparing it to Dalton,  the hurricane protection and building methods industry is forming a considerable market in the area.  It is a matter of time and incentives before certain companies choose to locate operations here and success is yet to be determined.  Industry can grow by accretion based on the success of pioneers who choose to locate here.  The 9th Ward can also be compared to Grimsby, a location that is strategically located to export processed goods.  Live-work opportunities came as a result of a centralized effort to reinvest in existing business, higher education, infrastructure, and new business.

9th Ward recipe?: 

Infrastructure(existing: rail, port, primary roads)

Housing(proposed: provided by hurricane protection industry, MIR)

Employment(proposed: hurricane protection industry)

Workforce(existing/proposed)

Land(existing)

Technical/Vocational training(proposed: community college / existing: LSU, Tulane, UNO)

Centralized support(existing: LBTC, Federal $ / proposed: State, City)

precedent: Grimsby, UK

The port of Grimsby is located on the north-east coast of Lincolnshire where the Humber Estuary meets the North Sea, approximately 161 miles north of London and 22 miles south-east of Hull.  The town has a population of around 91,200 and is within North East Lincolnshire (comprising the former Great Grimsby Borough and Cleethorpes Borough) which covers an area of approximately 19,185 hectares (74.5 sq miles / 192 sq kms) and which has a total population of around 156,000. It is renowned as one of the country’s great fishing ports, although this industry is now in danger of extinction, and it is a thriving retail centre with excellent entertainment and leisure facilities. Although the town has a long history much of the architecture dates from the 19th-century, including the 350ft high Dock Tower which dominates the skyline.

 There are many attractions in and around the town and it is a good base from which to explore the surrounding area. Until recently Grimsby was one of the country’s major fishing ports but the industry has declined drastically. However in recent years the town’s industry has greatly diversified and it has now established itself as a food processing centre as well as being particularly strong in the pharmaceuticals and petrochemical sectors. Tourism is also a developing sector. Located on the South Bank of the country’s busiest trading estuary, Grimsby is a highly versatile port that is well placed to offer superb transport links and logistical services tailored to customers’ specific requirements, providing a wide range of specialist port services and facilities. Grimsby caters for all types of cargo and handles vessels of up to 6,000 dwt. In addition, Grimsby is the chief vehicle-handling centre for the North, handling almost 450,000 vehicles annually for leading manufacturers. The port is also home to the UK’s most advanced fish market. The Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education is a general further education college offering full and part-time Further Education, a growing higher education provision, training for business, education in the community and commercial activities at its main Nuns Corner campus in Grimsby.

precedent: Dalton, GA

excerpts from Internet@Dalton:

 

Carpet manufacturing is big business in Whitfield County. The industry employs more than 30,000.  Whitfield County is proud of the contribution the carpet industry has made to the community. However, carpet is not the only thriving business in Dalton. Plastics, chemicals, bakery products, denim jeans, and fiber products are also produced locally.

Real estate for commercial business is plentiful along the handful of industrial parks for future economic growth.

The economic impact of major industries in Dalton brings subtle benefits to the area. Dalton has become a cultural melting pot because of the migration and influx of experts and entrepreneurs in the area’s industries. The success of the carpet industry and its people have helped Dalton attain a true quality of life.

Whitfield County businesses are quite aware of the impact that each tourism dollar has on the entire community. Discount shopping areas have been added – lodging facilities are upgrading and are actively marketing across the country – carpet outlets are benefiting greatly from the transient traveler who uses the busy I-75 north/south corridor.

AREA TRANSPORTATION

The industrial areas are located near the main transportation veins, such as I-75, US Highway 76, and US Highway 41 and the major railways. The transportation lines, coupled with the ample building space and a booming industrial market, make Whitfield County the land of plenty for the opportunist. Located in Northwest Georgia, Dalton is split by two major links; US Highway 41, which connects Atlanta and Chattanooga, and Interstate 75, which runs from Miami through Atlanta, Dalton, Chattanooga, and Cincinnati to Sault St. Marie.

Dalton is just thirty miles south of Chattanooga and 88 miles north of Atlanta. The superior transportation facilities rival most big cities – in fact which has impressed prospective industries. All of the transport services that any business might require for a plant site are easily accessible from Dalton and Whitfield County.

Along with a network of well maintained state highways and local roads, a by-pass system of the major though fares and arteries is currently under construction. In fact, many sections are already complete.

Dalton is also served by two major railways. The Norfolk and Southern and also CSX railroads handle more than 2,000 piggyback cars every month. The county is serviced by 72 motor freight carriers with 25 local terminals.

Besides school buses and family wagons getting people where they want to be, taxi service as well as the Whitfield Transportation Service (for the elderly, handicapped and others) are other means of getting around town.

LABOR FORCE

 About 54% of the nearly 50,000 strong labor force is engaged in manufacturing. Much of the manufacturing success of the Dalton area is attributed to the strong employee-employer relationship that has always been prevalent here.

Programs of continuing education, adult education and vocational education at Dalton College provide additional skills development for Dalton’s diversified labor force.

Because of Dalton’s tradition as a major employment center, quality workers are drawn from all surrounding Georgia and Tennessee counties. A constant influx of labor through the years has made it possible to staff the expanding economic base.

In keeping with increasing technical requirements of local industries, the skill levels of the labor force are rapidly improving. In addition to training, realized through changes in the workplace, numerous opportunities for specialized training at Dalton College provides enhanced skills through the Quick Start program and the Technical Division.

Recruiting and applicant screening services are available through the Georgia Department of Labor in Dalton. Use of this state-of-the-art employer driven program has enabled many existing companies to find quality laborers at minimal company expense.

The major thrust of the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber is education. The vision of the Chamber is that before the turn of the century, every person in the area will have basic skills required to adapt to the changing workplace demands. Linking business, education and government resources, the Chamber works to forge a model community, including an attitude toward educational improvement that will yield a labor force of unique quality.

 

9th ward economic engine

A Business cluster is a geographic concentration of interconnected businesses, suppliers, and associated institutions in a particular field.  They increase the productivity with which companies can compete. Michael Porter, author of The Competitive Advantage of Nations, states three ways in which clusters affect competition.  One way is by increasing the productivity of the companies in the cluster.  Another way is by driving innovation in the field.  The third way is by stimulating new business in the field. Porter derives forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market.  Attractiveness refers to the overall industry profitability.  An unattractive industry is one where the combination of forces acts to drive down profitability and the industry approaches pure competition.

Factor Endowment clusters are created because a comparative advantage they have is linked to a geographic position.  The alternative to clusters is Hubs and Nodes.  The cluster effect can be perceived as an urban agglomeration where most kinds of commercial establishments will tend to group themselves by category.  Examples of these types of clusters include the Silicon Valley in California with computer technology and the Napa Valley in California with wine production.

Science parks harness the combined power of education, research, and private investment.  The result is new jobs, new industries, and solutions to age-old problems of mankind.  They are sources of entrepreneurship, talent, and economic competitiveness and are key elements of the infrastructure supporting the growth of today’s global knowledge economy.  They enhance the development, transfer, and commercialization of technology.  The combination of three interacting elements: government, university, and private sector companies give parks their dynamism.  Strategically planned mixed-use campus expansions involve shared space in which industry and academic researchers work side by side.  These university-affiliated mixed-use campus developments are not simply real-estate ventures.  They embody a commitment by universities to partake in broader activities, offering companies high-value sites for accessing researchers, specialized facilities, and students, and promoting live-work-play environments.  Key features of these mixed-use developments include space for significant future research growth;  multi-tenant facilities to house researchers and companies; and housing, along with other amenities which are attractive to young faculty, post-doctoral and graduate students.

Is there a market for hurricane resistant-housing and innovative technology to improve building methods?  If so, can the 9th ward host a business cluster / science park and benefit by providing housing and employment opportunities?

The market:

Millions of dollars are being poured into mitigation research.  Just recently with Gustav and Hanna, universities including Florida International University, the University of Florida, and Clemson gauged the storm’s impact on structures and collected data on storm surge.  Budgets were provided by grants from the National Science Foundation, the State of Florida, and the private sector in this case.  The insurance industry has also backed research groups by funding research and testing centers.  One recent example includes Florida International University’s International Hurricane Research Center.  Another example is the Institute for business and Home Safety, a research facility in Tampa that is primarily funded by insurers and reinsurers.  The goal of the research is to provide materials and building practices that can reduce an owners losses.  Mitigation research has been studied and proven to play a significant role in reducing losses.  Insurers, regulators and lawmakers see wind mitigation as the best way to keep residents safe and home insurance costs affordable.  State funding for research is done so in the state of Florida because less hurricane damage contributes to Florida’s long-term economic health.  The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes(FLASH) is a nonprofit that started 10 years ago to build awareness about safety and mitigation for all types of disasters that can hit homeowners.  Homeowners who fortify their homes are rewarded by their insurers.  Florida state law requires insurance companies to offer hefty discounts of as much as 65% of premium for homes with shutters, impact-resistant windows, etc.  The key element to all this research is developing products and techniques that are cost-effective so consumers and builders will use them.

A Cluster in the 9th Ward:

The evidence and intuition strongly suggests that most entrepreneurs start-up companies where they happen to be located.  On top of all the risks and stress of a start-up, few want or consider it necessary to relocate.  Any attempt to form a cluster, rather than to leave one to go on to emerge organically, must either attract into the region people who will go on to form new companies, or encourage those already living locally to become entrepreneurs.  Existing clusters are good at doing both.  Experience suggests that successful clusters start themselves.  A key ingredient for any new cluster is the need for a few key individuals with successful track records as entrepreneurs (Brad Pitt?).  These individuals also bring funding with them, either directly through their own funding or indirectly through their contacts with venture capitalists.  A cluster also requires a link to a university (LSU, Tulane, UNO).  Universities can provide increased flow of ideas and funding opportunities.  Good infrastructure is also appealing (relatively little to no new infrastructure required in 9th).  Local networks that can share knowledge are at the core of a clusters success.  These networks can form critical links between individuals and can provide something of a safety net and lobby for change where needed.

The 9th ward is already showing characteristics of a cluster.  It is an area where new building methods are being implemented by an orgy of non-profits and private funding.  Key individuals are shaping the way the area is being developed.  Infrastructure already exists.  University contributions to the area come from all over the world.

man behind the mask

story.pdfRecently uncovered documents from sensitive military archives suggest that an utopian reality does, in fact, co-exist with our percieved reality.  It was during the Korean Conflict in 1962 that the United States Air Force and United States Navy ran a series of flight tests under the mission title “Aerial Muse.”  Much of the classified evidence has been destroyed regarding the mission objectives, but one aviator involved recollected personal events during his involvement with the mission.  On two occasions, Lt. Victor Billy Scott designation no. T-3960 of the United States Navy, dissapeared from radar while operating a FJ-4 model aircraft.  Radio contact was the only indication that Lt. Scott was still alive and well.  During these “disappearences”, he described the experience as “..slipping the bonds of earth, nearing a perfect state within the untresspassed sanctity of space.  If the earth exists below, and a Heaven or a utopia exists above the earth, then he could have put out his hand and touched the face of God.”

device

device.pdfThe device selected is an aviator’s helmet worn during the Korean Conflict.  The helmet is uncanny, in that, when worn, it transformed spatial reality into a heavenly perfected utopia.  This utopian reality parallels our percieved reality.  The only record of a utopian reality’s existence was reported by the person who wore this helmet, over 45 years ago.

that’s a wrap

Mars has been invaded.  We now have outposts on the frontier.  I am quiet pleased with the final rendering and animation.  The animation evolves from a micro to macro perspective of a typical outpost on the frontier.  Credits go to Taizo Horikowa, Brad Cantrell, and Narcissa Paralles for the use of their 3ds max devices in my animation.  P.S.  Must invest in more RAM

terraforming mars

The above images are found at http://www.hudsonfla.com/spaceviewinner.htm

The artist(s) depict Mars much like an outpost on the frontier rather than a booming metropolis.  I’m not sure how far Brad would like me to go with this, but the 3dsmax model that I plan on creating will include vehicles and biodomes for habitation and vegitation within the martian landscape.  I don’t plan on including humans unless they are billboards, animating a human is beyond my abilities right now…