Tag: research products

Trade and Competitiveness in North America: A Focus on the Cali Baja Mega-Region

By San Diego Regional EDC,

Summary

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was enacted on January 1, 1994, and was the first reciprocal agreement of its kind between industrial and developing countries. Broadly, the agreement sought to lower trade barriers and increase trade and investment between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This report uses available data to analyze and illuminate how NAFTA has heightened economic competitiveness across North America and spurred growth in Cali Baja’s innovation economy, making it one of the most beneficial and significant trade agreements in history.

This report was produced by World Trade Center San Diego, supported by the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at UC San Diego School of Global Policy & Strategy and El Colegio de la Frontera Norte.

READ THE FULL REPORT

The Importance of Water Reliability to San Diego’s Economy

By San Diego Regional EDC,

Summary

Reliable water infrastructure is an investment to the regional economy. Clean, reliable water supplies provide numerous economic benefits to San Diego County. Direct investments in water infrastructure, such as the construction of pipelines, dams, or treatment plants, ripple throughout the entire economy by creating new jobs, expanding business opportunities, and fostering economic competitiveness. This economic impact analysis evaluates how water infrastructure investments – developed by the San Diego County Water Authority – over the past 20 years have benefitted the region’s economy.

This report was produced with data provided by Bureau of Labor Statistics, EMSI, IMPLAN, San Diego County Water Authority.

READ THE FULL REPORT

Study: Mapping San Diego’s Defense Ecosystem

By San Diego Regional EDC,

Summary

For more than a century, San Diego’s defense cluster has been at the heart of the regional economy. The breadth and depth of defense activity stretches far beyond military bases and naval ships; from telecomm to robotics, aerospace to cybersecurity, San Diego’s defense cluster is the driving force behind the region’s innovation economy. In absence of the defense cluster, it is doubtful San Diego would be the global innovation hub it is today. In 2017, defense-related spending contributed $25.2 billion to the regional economy. More than $9 billion came from defense contracts procured by private firms, making San Diego the second largest recipient of defense procurement dollars nationwide. Today, there are more than 5,600 defense contractors connected to the region’s defense cluster. The overwhelming majority are small businesses in the manufacturing and professional, scientific, and technical service sectors which, together, account for 81 percent of all defense-specific contractor employment.

As a region heavily reliant upon defense spending, uncertainty surrounding the federal defense budget poses a potential threat to the region’s essential network of defense contractors and, more broadly, the regional economy. In order to better understand and support the local defense cluster, a survey of defense contractors in the region was conducted to gauge perceptions of the business climate, with the ultimate goal of informing the development of specific programs designed to enhance the resiliency of local companies.

Read the full report

Community Profile: City of Vista

By San Diego Regional EDC,

Summary

The City of Vista, located along North San Diego County’s 78 Corridor, is home to nearly 102,000 people spread across nearly 30,150 households. While accounting for only 3.1 percent of the San Diego region’s population, Vista is one of the faster growing cities in the region. Since 2010, the City has grown by 8.0 percent – a higher rate than the San Diego region as a whole – earning a spot as the seventh fastest growing city in the region between 2010 and 2016. Looking ahead, the Vista’s population is projected to grow by an additional 2.1 percent – approximately 2,096 people – by 2025.

READ THE FULL REPORT

Imagine San Diego: Amazon HQ2 Proposal

By San Diego Regional EDC,

Summary

San Diego is where California began: The place where the idea and the promise of California came to life. Since then, it has remained a place for pioneers, innovators, risk takers, entrepreneurs and people who change the world. San Diego is a reflection of Amazon’s Leadership Principles. Our world-class UC San Diego computer science program, which graduates more women engineers than any other university in the U.S., shows our passion to learn and be curious. We are thought leaders and are right a lot in embedded devices, unmanned systems, life sciences and machine learning. We move quickly and take bias for action in our burgeoning downtown tech startup scene. And in this proposal, we think big about how housing HQ2 in San Diego would be a game changer for both our region and for Amazon itself.

This proposal & report was produced by San Diego Regional EDC’s research team.

READ THE FULL PROPOSAL

Community Profile: City of San Marcos

By San Diego Regional EDC,

Summary

With a population of 93,300, San Marcos has the smallest yet fastest-growing population along the 78 Corridor. The city’s population has grown by more than 11 percent since 2010, outpacing the other four cities along the 78 Corridor by at least four percent and growing 1.8 times faster than the San Diego region.

READ THE FULL REPORT

 

Cracking the Code: The Economic Impact of San Diego’s Genomics Industry

By EDC Research,

Summary

The region has provided the fundamental genomic research that has galvanized scientific discovery across the globe. As we enter into an era of personalized medicine and technology, San Diego’s companies, research institutes, and  universities will continue to pioneer discoveries across the interdisciplinary field of genomics.

READ THE FULL PRINTED REPORT

Tech: A look at the San Diego Region’s 78 Corridor

By San Diego Regional EDC,

Summary

The 78 Corridor includes the cities of Carlsbad, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos, and Vista. With a population totaling 630,000, the Corridor is home to nearly one-fifth of residents in the San Diego Region. Employment along the Corridor exceeds 290,000 jobs – roughly 19 percent of the regional total – and annual gross regional product (GRP) surpasses $36 billion, making the 78 Corridor a major player in the regional economy. Moreover, North County has emerged as a leader of technological innovation; with over 850 total tech firms – a concentration nearly 42% above the national average – the 78 Corridor’s diverse and well-established tech cluster has seen steady growth in recent years. Contributing more than $6.1 billion annually and directly employing nearly 25,000 people, tech along the Corridor is a major engine of economic growth within the region.

Innovate78 is a marketing and economic development initiative led by five North County San Diego cities – Carlsbad, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos, and Vista . Along the 78 Corridor, elected leaders, city staff, businesses, and
educational institutions are working to leverage the area’s collective strengths and assets – speaking with one voice to retain, expand, and attract talent, companies, and investment.

READ THE FULL INDUSTRY PROFILE

Regional Profile: Tijuana, MX

By San Diego Regional EDC,

Summary

Tijuana: The largest city in the state of Baja California sits at one of busiest land border crossings in the world. Together with San Diego, Tijuana is part of a dynamic cross-border metropolis where deep economic and cultural linkages result in the creation of value, jobs and exports. The unique dynamics of the region provide local companies with an important comparative advantage in the global economy.

In Tijuana, employment in global companies has grown steadily, with many workers engaged in STEM and R&D-intensive industries. The city has become a powerhouse in industries such as semiconductors, medical devices, aerospace, electrical equipment, and audiovisual and communications equipment. Quality universities and an attractive cost of doing business have supported the development of these high-growth industries, attracting more than $5.6 billion of foreign direct investment to the region since 2012.

On average, 135,000 people cross the border each day between San Diego and Tijuana. Like the economy, people’s lives exist on both sides of the border. Tijuana’s vibrant cultural scene – with trendy coffee shops, world-class restaurants, museums, art galleries and a top-ranked soccer team – provides an enriching quality of life to residents. Nearby beaches in Rosarito and Ensenada, as well as the bourgeoning Valle de Guadalupe wine region, attract tourists year-round.

READ THE FULL REGIONAL PROFILE