Why SD is One of the 'World's Smart Cities'
Source: By Carrie Rossenfeld |
San Diego – GlobeSt.com
August 24, 2015
SAN DIEGO—San Diego’s intellect and innovation are
taking center stage as the region is recognized as a globally competitive
market, San Diego Regional EDC’s president and CEO Mark
Cafferty tells GlobeSt.com. After San Diego was named by National
Geographic Channel as one of the “World’s Smart Cities,” we
spoke exclusively with Cafferty about how the region earned this designation.
GlobeSt.com: What are the attributes that make San
Diego a “World’s Smart City”?
Cafferty: From Bloomberg to
the Brookings Intuition, the world continues to take notice of San
Diego. However, I could not think of a better entity than the National
Geographic Channel to tell San Diego’s story as a smart city and a smart economy.
More and more, San Diego’s intellect and innovation are taking
center stage. We are the third most patent-intense region in the world. To put
that in perspective, Silicon Valley and the
Bay Area—the only other U.S. region that broke the top 20
list—ranks 11th.
From life sciences to energy to aerospace, San
Diego is a breeding ground for innovative people, products and ideas that help
drive our global competitiveness.
No story of San Diego is complete without
mentioning Qualcomm. But what’s remarkable is that Nat Geo didn’t
just tell the story of Qualcomm as a telecommunications giant; they told
the story of Qualcomm’s Thinkabit Lab, which is engaging local
school districts and is inspiring future engineers. They are ensuring San Diego
remains a “smart city” for generations to come.
Then there is Illumina, appropriately
called the “World’s Smartest Company” by MIT Technology Review.
Along with other San Diego life-sciences leaders,
they are redefining the field of genome sequencing and personalized medicine. I
could go on and talk about the fascinating things SDG&E, UC
San Diego, Northrop Grumman and others are doing to draw
attention to our incredible region.
We believe that National Geographic has it right:
it’s all about the people; smart people solving some of the world’s most
challenging problems.
GlobeSt.com: What does this designation do for the
commercial real estate industry here?
Cafferty: The documentary did a great job of capturing
the essence of what makes San Diego great: our quality of life and geographic
diversity. Instead of focusing in on one neighborhood where development has
already occurred, the documentary tells the story of San Diego, from the labs
at UC San Diego near the Torrey Pines Mesa to the colorful
streets of Barrio Logan. Additionally, the documentary was seen by
more than 247 million households in 60 countries across the globe. Along with the San
Diego Tourism Authority, we premiered the documentary in London, Tokyo and
Washington, D.C. This increased international exposure is a good thing for
demand-driven industries like commercial real estate that are
fueled by job growth and economic development.
GlobeSt.com: In which areas could San Diego stand
to improve?
Cafferty: Like many other major
cities, San Diego is not immune to growing pains. As demographics continue to
shift, challenges arise. With aging infrastructure and finite
natural resources, San Diego has the opportunity to hone in on smart growth.
And the good news is that we have policymakers and leaders who are willing to
address these challenges head on. We have a mayor who is pushing through a
climate action plan and working with other elected officials on
innovative water-conservation
measures.
It is also important to note that innovation is
often born out of challenges. There is a reason we are early adopters of solar
energy—which has been harnessed by SDG&E—and will soon be home to the
largest desalination plant in the western hemisphere.
GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about
San Diego as a smart city?
Cafferty: If
they know San Diego, they might know we are one of the most beautiful cities in
the country—if not the world. What we are hoping people take home from this is
that we are also one of the world’s most innovative regions as well. There is a
lot to make us proud. But statistics and accolades aside, San Diego is a
remarkable place in that you don’t just build a career here; you build a
life—and that’s what people need to remember.
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