Snapshot

Copenhagen, Denmark, was named the 2023 World Capital of Architecture by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects in recognition of its strong legacy of innovative urban development, sustainability and livability.

Rotterdam-based HousingAnywhere in July released its Q2 2023 International Rent Index, a practical tool for professionals and students looking for a place to live in Europe.

The virtual ink had barely dried on last week’s Site Selection Snapshot about promising clean energy project and job data when First Solar and Maxeon Solar Technologies the very next day each announced billion-dollar manufacturing projects in Louisiana and New Mexico, respectively.

A number of new reports shed light on where clean energy projects and jobs are landing. The scope of one ongoing database in particular goes well beyond solar and wind farm installation and operation.

In June the U.S. Census Bureau released data for institutions from six new data partners in the Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) experimental data product. It was an invitation to experiment a bit with sorting those data.

Looking for a metric by which to calibrate a workforce’s technical skills? The SkillsUSA Championships could be meaningful to any company’s site selection matrix.

Last month the NAIOP Research Foundation released an update to a tool created two years ago called the Development Approvals Index, designed to provide a systematic method to evaluate and compare local development approvals processes by focusing on site and building plan reviews, permitting and inspections (but not zoning).

This week the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) for the first time revealed data on foreign direct investment in the U.S. in 2022 that showed a 51% decrease to $177.5 billion (preliminary) — significantly below the average of $298.8 billion for 2014-2021. The manufacturing sector, at $55.2 billion, accounted for 31.1% of total expenditures.

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate the share of fully home-based jobs nearly doubled from 11% of all jobs in 2019 to around 21% in 2021.

Two new reports this month offer different perspectives on country-level economic performance.

A new report from Gallup finds a new part of the world has displaced the United States and Canada as the region with the most engaged employees in the world — but there are caveats.