April 2019 
Newsletter
The ROI of SEPTA's Projects of Regional Significance
ESI assessed the long-term catalytic impacts of SEPTA's $6.5 billion package of capital projects. The analysis shows how SEPTA's projects of regional significance will change the economic trajectory of the region by enhancing regional competitiveness and attractiveness. The projects are anticipated to increase the growth path of the region by more than 50% over a 30 year time horizon, growing the base of regional jobs, earnings and tax revenues. 
Highlights
Richard Voith, President and Principal, and Daniel Miles, VP and Associate Principal, Daniela Voith, and ANBOUND Chief Researcher, Mr. Chan Kong (pictured here) met in Beijing, China last month. ANBOUND is ESI's multinational independent think thank partner. 

Philadelphia Historic Preservation Task Force
The Philadelphia Historic Preservation Task Force report release and presentation to Mayor Jim Kenney was held on April 4. ESI SVP and Principal Peter Angelides served as chair of the Incentives sub-committee. The report and executive summary has been published.
ESI was proud to sponsor and attend East Coast Greenway's Mid-Atlantic Greenways & Trails Summit, April 4-6. The summit brought together leaders in greenway and trail development, and marked the release of Investing in Our Future, East Coast Greenway Alliance's Greenway impact report to the Delaware River Watershed region. ESI in partnership with NV5 completed the report.
Proud to Sponsor
Young, Smart & Local,
April 9-10.
Campus Philly 2019 Annual Meeting,
Staff and Senior Advisors News
Lee Huang was a panelist at IDA's University & College Town Summit on April 4. He will also be a panelist at Campus Philly's Young, Smart and Local Conference on April 10. 
Dr. Daniel Miles provided an expert interview to 6ABC Action News Reporter Dann Cuellar for his story about March Madness and online sports betting. Dr. Miles also presented Smarter Cities 2025 at Oracle's Open World Asia in Singapore at the end of March.
Gina Lavery was interviewed on East Coast Greenway's podcast, "Quantifying the Impact of Infrastructure and Policies," discussing ESI's the economic impacts of the East Coast Greenway in the Delaware River Watershed.
Joel Naroff, of Naroff Economic Advisors, Inc., was awarded a Pulsenomics Crystal Ball for his home price forecasts. He won three of eleven categories, was in the top five in all, and top three in eight, placing him at the top of the Outstanding Consistency list. 
Richard Bickel will be attending American Planning Association's 2019 National Planning Conference in San Francisco from April 13-16. 
William Krebs will be participating in Jefferson University's Interior Design Program in the College of Architecture & The Built Environment Capstone Project Critique. He will be one of four professionals providing this service and has been a frequent guest speaker on campus since 2016. 
Sidney Wong recently gave a lecture to a graduate seminar on "Informal Housing with Chinese Characteristics" at the Penn Institute of Urban Research. 
Bernard Markstein conducted an analysis of January construction employment rates for which he was quoted in Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. His work was also included in For Construction Pros, Construction & Demolition Recycling, and the Daily Reporter. 
We bid a fond farewell to Marketing Assistant, Drexel University Co-op Emma Hart, who will complete her studies and graduate in June before relocating to Boston, MA. Emma was an important member of the Marketing team for a year and will be missed. Thank you and good luck!
We enjoyed an evening of comradery and good conversation during our April 2nd Senior Advisor Happy Hour.
ESI intern Roya Aghaeifar helped us celebrate Norouz, the Persian New Year. On the table are traditional symbols of wisdom, love, beauty, health, growth, balance, power, benevolence, self respect, wealth, patience, light and insight. Thank you for sharing your New Year's celebration! 


ESI is pleased to welcome our 2019 Spring-Summer interns and co-ops. From Temple University, Roya Aghaeifar; from Drexel University, Alaina Barca and Nina Olney; and from University of Pennsylvania, Julia Cohen and Lufeng Lin. Welcome to the team!
News from the Lab
Want to be a part of the ESI ThoughtLab's next research initiative 
 Building a Hyperconnected City? 

Join our advisory group. 
Building a Hyperconnected City is the follow-up study to Smarter Cities 2025. It  will provide urban and business leaders with the definitive playbook for creating digitally-enabled, interlinked urban ecosystems. 

This thought leadership research project will officially kick off on April 18th with the first meeting of the advisory group. Space is limited, but there is still time to join this exciting program! Please contact Lou Celi or Barry Rutizer to learn more.
US-China Research
ANBOUND recently published an article, "Anbound Think Tank, What's Different?," following the evolution of natural and social science, leading to today's world of artificial intelligence and information technology. They also consider ANBOUND's place in this emerging world, with an information thinking research model, a major contrast to other think tank organizations' paradigm research models.

To learn more about ESI's partnership with ANBOUND, click here or contact us.   
Present Value

Universal Basic Income
in the U.S.

By Delsea Albanese and Navneet Singh

Read here.

The Importance
of Internships

By Emma Hart

Read here.

Sports Betting Sweeps March Madness

By Daniel Miles

Read here.

Neighborhoods Outside Center City Remain Steady for Development

By Gina Lavery and Jing Liu

Read here.
Client Spotlight
Riverfront North Partnership has been granted $2M by The William Penn Foundation, in support of a new 10-acre Riverfront Park in Bridesburg.
The City of Philadelphia held the 12th annual Philly Spring Cleanup, the largest citywide cleanup of the year, April 6.
SEPTA has unveiled a new SEPTA Key beta site that increases compatibility across devices and provides more seamless e-commerce functions.
Urban Engineers' projects, the Rail Park and the Renovations at the Stoneleigh Main House, were recognized at the annual Diamond Awards for Engineering Excellence with Diamond Award Certificates.
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