New Report Examines Current Employment, Business Dynamics Shaping New Jersey’s Suburban Office Market

December 18, 2012

A new Rutgers Regional Report, “Reinventing the New Jersey Economy: New Metropolitan and Regional Employment Dynamics,” authored by James W. Hughes, dean of Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, and Joseph J. Seneca, university professor and economist at the Bloustein School, examines the necessity of transforming and reimagining the state’s suburban office stock to adjust to the emerging employment and business dynamics.

The authors trace the long-term forces that have been changing the shape of regional economic growth. “New Jersey’s structural transformation in the 1980s and 1990s to a knowledge-based, information-age economy proceeded in lockstep with the emergence of powerful suburban growth corridors,” said Hughes. “This 1980s-based office geography evolved into the state’s core economic competency, but the attractiveness of suburban growth corridors may have run its course.”

Hughes and Seneca examine whether trends that have been in existence for the last half century have now been reversed by fundamental changes in locational preferences. “The larger question is whether New Jersey’s office inventory—the once-dominant office parks and other post-industrial “factory” complexes—can be retooled for emerging economic imperatives,” the authors note. “Fortunately, there are still suburban office environments that may be successfully reshaped, reconceptualized, and more importantly, re-tenanted relative to population concentrations and accessibility.”

The complete report examining the previous transformations as well as an analysis of current trends may be found at:https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/reports/rrr/RRR33dec12.pdf.

A new Rutgers Regional Report, “Reinventing the New Jersey Economy: New Metropolitan and Regional Employment Dynamics,” authored by James W. Hughes, dean of Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, and Joseph J. Seneca, university professor and economist at the Bloustein School, examines the necessity of transforming and reimagining the state’s suburban office stock to adjust to the emerging employment and business dynamics.

The authors trace the long-term forces that have been changing the shape of regional economic growth. “New Jersey’s structural transformation in the 1980s and 1990s to a knowledge-based, information-age economy proceeded in lockstep with the emergence of powerful suburban growth corridors,” said Hughes. “This 1980s-based office geography evolved into the state’s core economic competency, but the attractiveness of suburban growth corridors may have run its course.”

Hughes and Seneca examine whether trends that have been in existence for the last half century have now been reversed by fundamental changes in locational preferences. “The larger question is whether New Jersey’s office inventory—the once-dominant office parks and other post-industrial “factory” complexes—can be retooled for emerging economic imperatives,” the authors note. “Fortunately, there are still suburban office environments that may be successfully reshaped, reconceptualized, and more importantly, re-tenanted relative to population concentrations and accessibility.”

The complete report examining the previous transformations as well as an analysis of current trends may be found at:https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/reports/rrr/RRR33dec12.pdf.

A new Rutgers Regional Report, “Reinventing the New Jersey Economy: New Metropolitan and Regional Employment Dynamics,” authored by James W. Hughes, dean of Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, and Joseph J. Seneca, university professor and economist at the Bloustein School, examines the necessity of transforming and reimagining the state’s suburban office stock to adjust to the emerging employment and business dynamics.

The authors trace the long-term forces that have been changing the shape of regional economic growth. “New Jersey’s structural transformation in the 1980s and 1990s to a knowledge-based, information-age economy proceeded in lockstep with the emergence of powerful suburban growth corridors,” said Hughes. “This 1980s-based office geography evolved into the state’s core economic competency, but the attractiveness of suburban growth corridors may have run its course.”

Hughes and Seneca examine whether trends that have been in existence for the last half century have now been reversed by fundamental changes in locational preferences. “The larger question is whether New Jersey’s office inventory—the once-dominant office parks and other post-industrial “factory” complexes—can be retooled for emerging economic imperatives,” the authors note. “Fortunately, there are still suburban office environments that may be successfully reshaped, reconceptualized, and more importantly, re-tenanted relative to population concentrations and accessibility.”

The complete report examining the previous transformations as well as an analysis of current trends may be found at:https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/reports/rrr/RRR33dec12.pdf.

 

Recent Posts

NJSPL: New Jersey Policy Priorities Survey Results

By Angie Nga Le Between October 7 and November 14, 2024, the New Jersey State Policy Lab conducted a brief survey to gain insights into emerging issues and policy priorities in New Jersey. The survey aimed to inform the Policy Lab’s strategic research planning,...

Dr. Grafova Examines Financial Hardships for Cancer Survivors

Household income and county income inequality are associated with financial hardship among cancer survivors in New Jersey Abstract Purpose To examine how household income and county income inequality are linked to financial hardship among cancer survivors. Methods...

Exploring Postsecondary Outcomes of Dual-Enrollment

Heldrich Report: Exploring Postsecondary Outcomes of Dual-Enrollment Participation in New Jersey A new study from the New Jersey Statewide Data System (NJSDS) explores the educational pathways of New Jersey high school graduates from 2014 and 2015 who participated in...

“Rutgers Then and Now:” A Discussion with the Authors

“Rutgers Then and Now”: A Discussion with Authors James W. Hughes and David Listokin As 2024 comes to a close and EJB Talks concludes another season, Stuart Shapiro discusses the new book by University Professor and Bloustein School Dean Emeritus James W. Hughes and...

NJSPL Report: Transportation Priorities for Camden County

By Carla Villacis, Kristin Curtis, Shaghayegh Poursabbagh, Oğuz Kaan Özalp, and Fawaz Al-Juaid Read Report The Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs at Rutgers-Camden (WRI) exists to conduct community-focused research that connects to the public policy and...

Upcoming Events

2025 Bloustein Alumni Awards Celebration

Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ, United States

Since 1994, the Bloustein School Alumni Association has aimed to present awards to accomplished alumni each year. Our goal is to pay tribute to alumni and friends to recognize their […]

RAISE 2025 – Our Future With AI: Utopian or Dystopian?

Gov. James J. Florio Special Events Forum, CSB 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, United States

Informatics - Data Science - AI Competition Step into the future of innovation! RAISE-25 will challenge you to unravel the scope of AI's impact on our lives and human society. […]