The impact this can have on the local economy was among the subjects du jour at a panel presented by Google at this year’s Internet Week.

William Floyd, head of the search engine’s external affairs, moderated the panel which included Downtown Brooklyn Partnership President Tucker Reed, NY Tech Meetup’s (NYTM) Jessica Lawrence, and Center for an Urban Future’s (CUF) Jonathan Bowles.

Lawrence kicked things off relating the shift she has observed in New York’s tech scene over the years, witnessed in everything from the explosive growth of NYTM’s membership to the number of tech-related meetups currently operating in the City (well over 600) to the anecdotal comments she hears regularly from people working in the sector.

“It used to be that people relocated to New York to be closer to family or for more personal reasons,” said Lawrence. “Now, the reasons we hear are that New York is the place to be if you want to work on interesting tech projects.”

This plays out in the quantitative evidence as well, said Bowles, who said recent analysis published by CUF showed the New York region experienced a 24% increase in VC deals over the last five years, compared to a 21% drop in Silicon Valley and a 31% drop in the New England area.

“Tech is now a sustainable growth engine for New York that didn’t exist 5 years ago,” said Bowles, who is among the consultant team currently looking at ways to harness this potential in the Brooklyn Tech Triangle.

With more than 500 tech and creative firms currently operating in the triangle that extends from Downtown to DUMBO to the Navy Yard, employing 9,628 people and generating $3.1 billion in economic impact, Reed described the momentum as the 21st century iteration of Brooklyn’s long legacy of innovation in the borough.

“The borough has a storied history of innovation dating back to its industrial past launching great ships along the waterfront and inventing useful everyday items like the cardboard box,” said Reed. “ Today, 21st century manufacturing has returned in the form of a boom in digital media, applied manufacturing, and tech firms operating here.”

Reed also highlighted what he sees as Brooklyn’s overall competitive advantages for startups – brand association, diversity of space, and the presence of like-minded companies doing business here – all of which the Brooklyn Tech Triangle initiative hopes to maximize with its recommendations to be released next month.

To view more photos of the panel and Internet Week, click here.

Registration by invitation only. Please confirm your participation by contacting Kathleen Parisi at Kathleen@k2new.net or 212-794-7363

Much is happening in the Tech Triangle and much to do as the Tech Triangle Coalition plans on how to foster the area as a creative, tech-oriented, digitally-plugged hub.

Convening its advisory and taskforce committees this morning, the Coalition engaged public and private stakeholders in its findings and preliminary proposals. With 50 percent of the strategic plan under their belt, Adam Lubinsky of WXY Urban Design + Architecture discussed the area’s rich amenities and opportunities, and offered policy interventions and programs that best fits the strategic plan outcomes while overcoming area-wide challenges. For real estate initiates, see: short-term leases, model units and broadband connections. For transportation, think smoother Barclays Center to Brooklyn Bridge Park connection and better east-west connectivity. Focus areas for the Tech Triangle include better bike and pedestrian corridors and transforming the way pedestrians experience space—primarily parks, plazas and interstitial areas between districts. The launch of the Brooklyn Tech Triangle Strategic Plan is anticipated for Spring 2013.

Small and medium-sized businesses across the five boroughs are eligible to apply for the ConnectNYC Fiber Challenge, a City program offering up to $7 million in free fiber build-out to winning businesses—providing reliable, steady internet access with connectivity speeds hundreds of times faster than Cable and DSL.

The deadline for applications is December 27th, so apply now:

• Click “Accept this Challenge” here to register your interest in participating.
• Create a New Submission Form and enter basic information about your business and connectivity needs.

That’s all it takes. Help spread the word or apply today!

Tech Triangle talk was buzzing last night at the design charrette meeting co-sponsored by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and Brooklyn Community Board 2 at St. Francis College. Open to the public, more than 40 people attended – with diverse representation from residents and tenants, elected officials, government agencies, real estate agents, academic institutions, and companies large and small – from the greater Downtown Brooklyn area.

Huddled around maps, participants shared experiences around placemaking and transportation challenges, highlighted problem areas, and worked to identify opportunities. Discussion produced ideas for the creation of a more dynamic and interconnected neighborhood. Among our favorites were the suggestion to convert a parking lot at Joralemon and Adams Streets into a park and the possible activation of the BQE ramps at Navy Street to be inclusive of temporary art, sculptures, and urban gardens. Stay tuned for more updates on our strategic planning process in the coming weeks.

Their approach is as diverse as the neighborhoods surrounding DUMBO, Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Downtown Brooklyn. From analyzing labor market data to exploring traffic engineering solutions, the 11-firm consultant team is undertaking a multidisciplinary effort to leverage the area’s assets. Charged with exploring real estate opportunities and economic policies, Caroline McCarthy of HR&A Advisors spoke of generational shifts—for instance, bringing bicycles and dogs to work—and how “small public policy changes can ensure that the real estate stock can meet the needs of companies.” Other presenters included Melissa Goldberg and Julian Alssid of Workforce Strategy Center; Jee Mee Kim of Sam Schwartz Engineering; Jonathan Bowles of Center for an Urban Future; and Robert Richardson of Control Group.

Over the next 2 months, the WXY-led team will be conducting numerous focus groups and one-on-one interviews with relevant stakeholders.

The planning team – which also includes HR&A Advisors, Sam Schwartz Engineering, and Control Group – will recommend transportation and infrastructure improvements, design “placemaking” ideas, and devise incentive programs and other policy initiatives. To ensure the workforce demands of the growing companies are met, a workforce development program to train and place area residents also will be devised.

The team also includes several specialists who will provide expertise:

• Center for an Urban Future (provide studies and technical analysis)
• Domingo Gonzalez Associates (placemaking and lighting specialists)
• Gleeds (real estate, economic policy, and risk assessment)
• Ken Smith Landscape Architecture (placemaking)
• Pentagram (placemaking signage and visual connections)
• Space Syntax (modeling for land use changes )
• Workforce Strategy (real estate, economic policy, and risk assessment)

To read the full media coverage of the announcement, click here.