#metropolitan policy program

A Few Cities Have Cornered Innovation Jobs. Can That Be Changed?

There are about a dozen industries at the frontier of innovation. They include software and pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and data processing. Most of their workers have science or tech degrees. They invest heavily in research and development. While they account for only 3 percent of all jobs, they account for 6 percent of the country’s economic output.

And if you don’t live in one of a…

Renewing the Water Workforce: @BrookingsMetro report on retooling able workers to fix our water infra

METROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM AT BROOKINGS

By Joseph Kane and Adie Tomer

Summary

As the U.S. economy continues to grow, many communities are struggling to translate this growth into more equitable and inclusive employment opportunities. Simultaneously, many of the nation’s water infrastructure assets are in urgent need of repair, maintenance, and restoration. Yet the workers capable of carrying out…

Metro Area Populations Surge As Rural America Shrinks

CNN Paper: Americans and immigrants from abroad are flocking to the nation’s metropolitan areas in droves, pursuing new jobs and economic opportunity. But at the same time, rural America is losing population at an alarming rate, raising fears that economies slow to recover from the recession have dark futures ahead.

Annual population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday show 60…

South & Southwest still struggle w/ #broadband adoption - @BrookingsMetro report

BROOKINGS INSTITUTION METROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM Executive Summary The internet is now a fundamental component of the American economy, creating new ways to educate, employ, bring services to, and entertain every person. Broadband, especially wireline broadband in American homes, is the essential infrastructure for unlocking the internet’s economic benefits. However, broadband infrastructure is…

Find out which cities are investing in #water the RIGHT way - @BrookingsMetro

BROOKINGS INSTITUTION METROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM By Joseph Kane, Senior Research Analyst and Associate Summary This brief describes the current context for local water infrastructure investment in the United States, with a particular focus on large drinking water utilities. As concerns continue to ripple from incidents in Flint, Mich. and beyond, cities remain at the forefront of many investment…

#NetMetering: Why utilities think #Solar customers are getting an unfair break

BROOKINGS INSTITUTION METROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM Rooftop solar is booming in U.S. cities. One of the most exciting infrastructure developments within metropolitan America, the installation of over a million solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in recent years, represents nothing less than a breakthrough for urban sustainability — and the climate. Prices for solar panels have fallen dramatically.…