When IT people say your data is in the cloud it has nothing to do with white fluffy things in the sky. The cloud is a vast network of worldwide servers that are hooked together – and these servers or data centres are an increasingly mission-critical part of a country or city’s infrastructure. In fact, they are so mission-critical that they occupy prime urban property.
It’s no coincidence that Boston, Massachusetts, which is home to MIT and Harvard, has incubated a thriving biotech ecosystem. GDP, which reflects the economic output of a city is another indicator – the more productive a city, the greater the demand for real estate. And lastly, retail sales are a lead economic indicator because they contribute to economic growth and employment.
The scale and economic depth of LA make it a great place to work and live. Unlike Cape Town, where most jobs for CAs are in asset management, LA has diversified across financial services, media, trade and technology. The technology sector, in particular, has grown over the past few years, boosting demand for office space and residential property, much of it due to the increased hiring of millennials.
The reason these trends are important, he says, is because they affect land usage patterns in a city.Land is an economic instrument and land use is shaped by economic demand. The demand shift in land use has transformed areas of the market, leaving clear winners and losers.”