INDUSTRIAL LAND IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY District of ...

District of Columbia Industrial Areas Study DC Office of Planning
Prepared by Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc.
PDR impacts are but one portion of the total impacts of this growth. The following table shows
the full regional multiplier impact on all industries (including the Professional, Scientific and
Technical Services industry), PDR industries, and non-PDR industries outside of the
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services industry. The table illustrates that a little less
than half of the regional employment impacts associated with growth in the Professional,
Scientific and Technical Services industry occur outside of the industry itself. Of these jobs,
about 90 percent are non-PDR jobs, while 10 percent are PDR jobs. The implication is that
when the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services industry expands, 48 percent of the
direct and indirect employment impacts are due to backwards linkages to other industries and
other indirect effects, and 10 percent of those impacts are felt within the four PDR industry
groups.
Table 2.7: Total, Non-PDR, and PDR Employment Impacts from Projected Growth in the
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services Industry in the District of Columbia
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Jobs Percent
Total new jobs 61,116 100.0%
New jobs within the industry 32,087 52.5%
New jobs outside the industry 29,029 47.5%
New non-PDR jobs outside the industry 26,020 89.6%
Total new PDR jobs 3,009 10.4%
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Input-output Multiplier System
Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc.
In summary, demand for PDR goods and services increases regionally as growth occurs in the
core industries. Just the projected growth in one industry in the District will result in over 3,000
new PDR jobs regionally. This does not even count continued growth in these industries due to
other factors such as population growth, growth in other economic sectors, and ‘export’ trade
with customers outside of the region. The challenge for DC will be to capture those segments of
this growth that can reasonable find space to succeed within the District.
2.1.3 IMPORTANCE OF A DC LOCATION
The above analysis shows that PDR businesses collectively contribute significantly to
employment in the District; that as a whole they can be expected to exhibit modest growth; and
that they are linked with the District’s core industries. However, these facts do not reveal the
true flavor of these linkages, and the importance of a DC location for key PDR users. Most PDR
users are located in the District because of a particular relationship with local industries which
form their customer base. Proximity provides them with a competitive advantage, whether its
short delivery times, ease of face-to-face interaction, etc.