Kotkin' appearance at a NAIOP function has been at the behest of David Wolff, developer of Houston's energy corridor and owner of Wolff Cos. Kotkin, author of "The New Geography" tells GlobeSt.com the energy industry's digitization combined with Houston's quality of life will make the city emerge as high-tech stronghold.
According to Kotkin, Houston's large tracts of affordable land are ideal for the low-slung campus environments that are strongly favored by technology companies. And, he cautions against following Wall Street's lead in assessing the high-tech industry's value. The high-tech industry, he says, is continuing to outpace others in growth patterns. The downturn is but a passing event, he claims.
Kotkin believes that the digitization of key industries will create the technological centers of the near future. Just as Los Angeles is the center of technological movements for the entertainment industry, New York City is experiencing a digitization of the financial industry, and Houston will be the center of the technological transformation of the energy industry, he says.
Indeed, the strong financial backing of companies like Petrocosm, Inc., an energy industry-backed, web-based company, headquartered in Houston is an example of what Kotkin is talking about. Wolff agrees with Kotkin and believes that the recipe for success lies in offering high-quality environments for business within the accessible range of downtown areas. Wolff cites the emerging "Techway" along the Sam Houston Tollway as a prime example. Not to be ignored, adds Kotkin, is a web of master-planned communities that have the appeal of logic and order for techies' lifestyles.
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