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‘Opportunity zone’ tax breaks shown as duplicitous development…
Michelle R. Matisons Civil & GovernmentOpportunity zones are a new real estate tax scheme that government officials, city planners, and investment firms are using to convert low-income real estate or already developed areas into large tax break incentives. When Amazon announced plans to move to Long Island City, the controversial opportunity zone tax break, created from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was cited as a possible incentive for that location. This caused a flurry of controversy, and Amazon gave up the idea, which includes paying zero taxes on gains from assets held for a decade, because it’s bad public relations.
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Remodeling activity holding steady for now
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesEarly indications suggest that, as it has for the previous two quarters, growth in remodeling activity remained more or less flat in the fourth quarter of 2019. Current projections show that trend will continue for much of the coming year. Remodelers, however, are more optimistic, pointing to current project backlogs and a recent uptick in project inquiries. The outlook for remodeling business in 2020 varies depending on what part of the market one is looking at.
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FAA seeks to take back the skies from rogue drones
Tory Barringer Transportation Technology & AutomotiveFor the past few years, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has had a growing problem with unidentified flying objects. Not the kind with little green men, but rather unmanned (and unregistered) aerial vehicles (UAVs) — "drones" for short. Originally designed for military applications, drones are now used widely for a variety of jobs, including aerial surveillance, bridge inspections, wedding photography and package delivery, among others. So how does the government keep track of more than a million remote-controlled flying machines? The answer, at least until recently, is "not very well."
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Asbestos can be everywhere, so create a remediation plan
Scott E. Rupp Facilities & GroundsAging institutional and commercial facilities continue to present trouble for occupants, visitors, administrators, and facilities professionals. They produce a host of liabilities to everyone that enters to work, live, learn, or consume services at a given facility. One of the most prominent recent examples of these risks was a School District of Philadelphia building that was closed after asbestos damage was discovered inside. Asbestos is more than a local or regional problem, of course, and remains a thorn in the side of countless facility managers the world over.
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Are neighbors friends or foes? Assessing the agglomeration effect for Airbnb…
Linchi Kwok Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementRecent research suggests that Airbnb listings are usually found in popular locations such as tourist attractions and points of interest. When more Airbnb listings are located in the same neighborhood, the competition will become more intense. Intense competition can be harmful to businesses, especially when they enter a price war. If that’s the case, why would Airbnb hosts choose to operate their short-term residential rental businesses in a neighborhood with already existing listings?
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White Sands: America’s newest national park
Dave G. Houser Recreation & LeisureJust before Christmas 2019, White Sands National Monument in New Mexico became White Sands National Park. The official upgrade passed through Congress with little fanfare, hidden away in the small print of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020. The designation as America's 62nd national park is, however, lauded by proponents — road trippers, desert rats and photographers — who love to roam the 275-square-mile complex of sparkling, swirling white sand dunes.
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Why you need to update your hospital’s ventilation system
Lisa Mulcahy Healthcare AdministrationAs a hospital administrator, proper infection control is an incredibly important task. Nosocomial infections — the viral and bacterial illnesses that your patients may contract while at the hospital after being admitted for another reason — are a constant and vexing concern at most facilities. Yet, taking a fresh overview of your ventilation system, making easy and effective changes to that system, and sharpening your staff's germ control awareness can pay big dividends. This piece will incorporate the latest research to inform you of the latest technology and strategies.
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In a first, UK scientists estimate the economic impact of herbicidal resistance
Scott E. Rupp Food & BeverageScientists from the Zoological Society of London have recently done something significant, if not innovative. These researchers are part of an effort that, for the first time, has placed a number on the damage caused by herbicidal resistance of a major agricultural weed. An estimated 4 million tons of pesticide are applied to crops worldwide each year, the report noted. As of 2019, 253 known herbicide-resistant weeds exist, and estimates of the costs of resistance to agricultural xenobiotics are severely lacking.
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F-Gas turns the screw again
Andrew Gaved Facilities & GroundsThis column has reported many times over the years on the progress of the F-Gas regulations, as the legislation seeks to achieve its ultimate goal of reducing refrigerant emissions in Europe. But 2020 marks a significant year for both the legislation and the industry that must comply with it. It is expected to change refrigerant buying habits as the once-ubiquitous R404A disappears from wholesalers' shelves. The F-Gas legislation, now in its second iteration, came into force in 2015 and has put the industry under pressure with its unique combination of restrictions.
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During bushfire crisis, Australia’s koala ‘beds are burning’…
Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & EnvironmentalAs the world watches Australia burn, recall the indignant 1987 song "Beds are Burning" by Sydney band Midnight Oil. The lyrics prove prescient: "Four wheels scare the cockatoos/From Kintore, east to Yuendemu/The Western Desert lives and breathes/In forty-five degrees." The country's devastating wildfires make four scary wheels the least of the cockatoos' problems, and recent numbers indicate Australia's planetarily unique biodiversity and surrounding interdependent human communities are changed forever.
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