Developers are turning faded structures into "telecom hotels," rebuilding the pillars of the old economy. Cities need to figure out how to take advantage of these assets.
Throughout the US, real estate investors are turning old office buildings, obsolete manufacturing plants, old wharehouses, and underused retail centers into telecom or carrier hotels. Instead of packing the buildings with manufacturing machines, companies are filling them with racks of switches, routers, computers and generators. These structures are being rehabbed to house the backbone of the Internet Economy. Planners are only now realizing the potential windfall, and they need to figure out how to take advantage of the assets -- especially if they are in economic depressed areas. This feature story from The Industry Standard cites examples from Los Angeles, New York, and Clevland.
Thanks to Chris Steins
Read the full story: When Data Checks In
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City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority