What does connection mean to the fastest growing tech hubs in America? Sometimes it describes social networks that connect people to communities and businesses. Others may view it as the level of broadband access or availability of high-speed internet. Even more, it can used as a travel term: how do I physically connect to my location via transportation.
When we talk about connectivity in the US tech hubs, it encompasses all of these because connection, with all of its definitions, is a key driver for expanding companies and working talent. From traveling to meeting with investors, networking across industries and allowing for leisurely escapes, accessibility to the rest of the world can set apart one city from another.
Here are a few key connection variables that workers, investors, companies, and other stakeholders consider:
Airport Growth
Airports stimulate the global economy, creating pathways for tourism, goods, and services to interlink around the world. But locally, they play a key role in job creation and economic growth. Recent airport growth and investments in Austin, Raleigh-Durham, and Salt Lake City are expected to have high returns for the tech sector and other growing industries.
Public Transit
Midwest cities like Indianapolis and Kansas City are expanding their transit systems to become more competitive with larger tech hubs. These investments help create commercial, cultural, and social connections for residents and businesses.
Broadband Access
With the migration of tech companies to non-coastal cities, many need to consider the technical needs that accompany this type of growth. Will companies, remote workers, and others have access to the internet speeds necessary to make them successful?
Inside this issue
- Airlines, Airports in Growing Tech Hubs Boost Connectivity
- Proposed Columbus Hyperloop Would Link to Chicago, Pittsburgh
- United and Mesa to Buy Electric Planes for Short Trips
- Find Your Connection in These Three Growing Hubs
- The Bridge Interviews Dallas’s Entrepreneur Center Founder
Recently the Wall Street Journal took a look at which U.S. cities were seeing the most airline and airport growth. Austin, Boston, and Raleigh-Durham all made the list. Airline and airport growth is closely intertwined with economic growth and development. Now that Austin has plenty of nonstop options for flying to and from the Bay Area, tech leaders can easily move back and forth for important trips and meetings in Silicon Valley.
This trend is not limited to Texas, either. Other areas experiencing similar demand and response are Raleigh-Durham and Boston. With more companies expanding beyond the west coast in hopes of better company benefits, both have seen an increase in nonstop flight demand and are adjusting their model to serve those customers. There are high hopes for a steady increase and flourishing local markets despite the pandemic. Read More
The Hyperloop opens opportunities on various levels, beyond just transportation, say company officials, noting economic development, sustainability goals and the cachet attached to being a leader in next-generation mobility.
The idea is to easily link cities — like Pittsburgh, Columbus and Chicago — to form “mega-regions,” said Ryan Kelly, head of global marketing and communications for Virgin Hyperloop One. Hyperloop routes would be designed not unlike transit lines, with stops along the way, allowing workers to maybe live in one city, but work in another city a couple hundred miles away. Read more
United Airlines Holdings Inc. UAL and a regional airline partner are hoping to use a new electric plane to revitalize short-haul flying. United’s venture fund and Mesa Air Group Inc. MESA are investing in Heart Aerospace, a Swedish company developing a 19-seat electric aircraft.
Each airline has agreed to order 100 of the planes, once they have been built, as long as the final product meets the airlines’ specifications. The plane has a range of 250 miles. United and Mesa envision using it on short trips, such as Purdue University Airport in West Lafayette, Indiana, to Chicago O’Hare. United said there are over 100 routes in its network where the ES-19 could operate. United has also announced plans to buy 15 new supersonic jetliners being developed by Boom Technology Inc. Read More
Find Your Connection in These 3 Growing Hubs
🎨 On Friday, the City of Pittsburgh launched Move PGH, a two-year pilot program to improve how people get around. The initiative creates travel hubs where people can access all the city’s options: buses, bikes, mopeds — and for the first time, stand-on electric scooters from Spin.
🖥️ Indianapolis — Self-driving shuttles are now on the streets of Indianapolis, taking people to work and school downtown.The pilot program is a first for Indianapolis through May Mobility, the Toyota Mobility Foundation and Energy Systems Network. Sharing the road in Indy, buses trucks and cars now have unique company.
🚙 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is undergoing a $6bn capital improvement programme (CIP) known as the ATLNext modernisation project, which is aimed to boost the airport’s capacity. The project will include renovation of the domestic terminal, concourses, central passenger terminal complex (CPTC) and parking facilities. The airport’s transformation is also aimed at enhancing customer service and meeting the changing needs of passengers by 2036.
