Palo Alto—How can our Silicon Valley economy stay on the cutting edge? How can we ensure that the jobs we create here stay in the Bay Area? What can local governments do to enhance our economic prosperity?
We can design our cities to create and retain jobs, argues Ryan Avent, economics correspondent for The Economist and author of The Gated City.
On April 19, Avent will speak on such place-based solutions at Building a Jobs-Rich Region: A conversation with Ryan Avent at Stanford University. Speaking with Carl Guardino, President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Avent will discuss the Bay Area’s economic outlook with a focus on placemaking to ensure our region is on the right track to nurture our economic competitiveness and attract new jobs in the future.
“Silicon Valley’s prosperity depends heavily on attracting creative workers,” says Executive Director Jeremy Madsen. “To attract and retain creative workers, we need to plan for a future where our region’s communities offer the options, amenities and the quality of life these workers seek. We’re excited to bring Ryan Avent to the Bay Area because his work provides insight as to how local governments can help our economy thrive by planning for the types of communities that will appeal to this talent.”
Avent’s writing focuses on how our land-use policies can directly impact our region’s ability to innovate and create jobs. Writing in an opinion in the New York Times in Sept. 2011, Avent noted, “while wages are growing in San Francisco, they would be growing faster if the city allowed the construction of more housing. More workers would be able to take advantage of the good job opportunities in the Bay Area, and the metropolitan and national economies would function better.”
In addition to speaking at Stanford University on April 19, Avent will moderate a panel at Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s CEOs Business Climate Summit on April 24.
“Land use plays a critical role in Silicon Valley’s economy,” said Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. “We are pleased to partner with Greenbelt Alliance and to be a part of the regional conversation on the issue.”
CONTACT:
Stephanie Reyes, Policy Director
sreyes@greenbelt.org | office: (415) 543-6771 ext. 319
Sara Barz, Online Communications Manager
sbarz@greenbelt.org | office: (415) 543-6771 ext. 307 | cell: (413) 222-0738
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Details for the event at Stanford University:
WHAT: Building a Jobs-Rich Region: A conversation with Ryan Avent
WHEN: Thursday, April 19, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Cemex Auditorium, 641 Knight Way Stanford Graduate School of Business, Palo Alto
