Mark Fahey cites data from Crain's and the New York Building Congress showing that New York City's improving economy has percolated big numbers of hires through all levels of the building industry.
"The city's strengthening economy is powering a wave of hiring among firms involved in the design, engineering and construction of real estate. Last year the top 25 architecture firms and top 20 companies in engineering and in construction added thousands of jobs, with each category increasing its head count by 8% over 2012 levels, according to new data from Crain's," reports Fahey.
After increased hiring cycled through architecture firms and engineering firms, "[last] year the property cycle finally paid off for the construction firms, pushing employment to a five-year high of nearly 121,000 jobs, up 4% from the year before, according to the NYBC. The top 20 firms on the Crain's list expanded their head count by a combined 8% in 2013, on the back of a 6% climb in construction spending, to $29.3 billion, and a 3% rise in New York area revenue for those companies."
Residential housing is driving a lot of the new work: "Strong growth in spending on residential projects—up 36%—helped spur that hiring spree. Last year's $7.3 billion total spending exceeded pre-recession highs, according to the New York Building Congress."
FULL STORY: Building boom lifts all firms involved
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.