The COVID-19 pandemic has forced community leaders, in Worcester and across the country, to look at existing systems in new ways – education, retail businesses, telecommuting and other mainstays have been reevaluated in the face of social distancing and quarantines. One system at the heart of many ongoing and proposed changes is internet service.
See More...Of all the factors that influence the business climate in Worcester’s Central Business District (CBD), the office space market is one of the most basic, but also one of the most important. The physical locations available are critical both in attracting and retaining employers, and in measuring the health of the CBD.
See More...Walkability has numerous benefits, but how walkable an area is can be hard to quantify—while people have good intuitions about whether their neighborhood lends itself well to casual strolls, or how many destinations are easily reachable on foot, it can be harder to put those thoughts and feelings into a context that could inform public policy.
See More...The Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA), like many bus systems, suffers from low and declining ridership. There is research and evidence from other cities that going fare-free – not merely lowering fares, but eliminating them entirely – is perhaps the most effective ridership-boosting tool available to bus systems.
See More...The Opportunity Zone program was created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. It provides tax deferments and forgiveness to investors who support projects in designated areas. This investment must come from capital gains and has multiple conditions attached in an effort to benefit, specific, low-income areas.
See More...The Worcester Housing Authority (WHA) has been providing affordable housing options to Worcester residents since 1949. Federal guidelines recommend that households spend no more than 30 percent of income on rental or mortgage payments.
See More...The Research Bureau, as part of a partnership with the Worcester Business Journal, is pleased to present its latest report The Immigrant Entrepreneur in Worcester.
See More...A transportation center for centuries, Worcester has aggressively developed connections to the outside world. By land, air, and (if only for a few decades via the Blackstone Canal) by sea, Worcester has invested in the infrastructure necessary to move people and goods in and out of the city.
See More...Boston’s economic boom has been a boon for developers and landlords, as an influx of businesses means more demand for office space and a corresponding rise in rents. Among those organizations fighting for space downtown is the state government, which leases offices across the state for its various department and agencies, but concentrates 35 percent of that square footage in the City of Boston.
See More...The Research Bureau is pleased to present its latest report Minimizing Risk: The Implications of a $15 Minimum Wage for Worcester. While there is evidence both for and against an increased minimum wage from states and cities across the country, this report examines the potential local impact of a change on Worcester and offers thoughts on how the minimum wage can best serve the local economy and populace.
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