Life Sciences and Economic Stimulus
Transportation infrastucture is a critical yet often overlooked component to economic development.
The geographic compactness of the Greater Boston life sciences cluster is currently one of our strongest competitive advantages, allowing productive connectivity between university and hospital researchers, physicians, and industry. Yet thousands of daily trips between labs, classrooms, hospitals and companies within this same geographic concentration also create congestion. The challenge then becomes how to provide transportation infrastructure that can accommodate the demand for connectivity in this growing industry.
A 2001 Jones Lang LaSalle survey shows that over 75% of knowledge-based technology companies consider access to public transportation to be a key factor in evaluating potential sites. Throughout the U.S., cities and regions are investing in infrastructure and transportation improvements – particularly in transit – to better serve the anchor institutions and geographic areas that are most vital to their life sciences clusters.
Targeted and strategic investment in transportation that supports our life sciences will not only enhance our regional economic competitiveness and create ‘a better city’, but also ultimately enhance our competitive position across industries to make ‘a better Commonwealth.’
Our role
In October 2007 , A Better City released a report that examines the role of transportation infrastructure in creating stronger and better connections among the institutions and businesses in the life sciences sector. The report, titled Connecting with our Economic Future: A Transportation Investment Strategy for the Life Sciences Cluster, includes a comprehensive set of transportation investment recommendations designed to maintain our competitive edge in the life sciences. These recommendations include short- and longer term recommendations in the areas of capital initiatives, operational initiatives, and policy and planning.
In conjunction with the study release, A Better City also hosted, in partnership with the Massachusetts Life Sciences Collaborative, a panel discussion on the unique dynamic and needs of our growing life sciences industry, and why investing in transportation infrastucture is critical to enabling this industry to grow successfully in the Commonwealth and remain competitive.
Click here to view a transcript of the panel discussion.
ABC President & CEO Rick Dimino and Stephanie Pollack of Northeastern University co-authored a follow-up opinion piece, entitled "On life sciences, keep moving," published in The Boston Globe in November 2007.
What's New
A Better City has enjoyed some legislative success recently with regard to the Governor’s life sciences economic stimulus package. As was the case with the House version, the Senate version carries strong references to the critical importance of infrastructure to the economic development of the life sciences industry. This was in part due to our advocacy efforts last fall and the broad release of our Life Sciences study in October. We will continue to closely monitor this, and hope to see a conference report within a month or so.
Additional resources
Connecting with Our Economic Future: A Transportation Investment Strategy for the Life Sciences Cluster
(October 2007)
Massachusetts Life Sciences Collaborative
February 29, 2008 - Mobility: The forgotten link in Mass.'s economic DNA
Boston Business Journal opinion column by Douglas M. McGarrah, Foley Hoag