The spike in Covid-19 caused by the highly contagious Delta Variant is slowing the economic recovery in numerous sectors of the economy—case in point the construction industry.
"National nonresidential construction spending expanded 0.1% in July, a decrease of 4.2% from last year at this time, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published Sept. 1 by the U.S. Census Bureau," reports Jennifer Goodman.
A press release from the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) elaborated on the bad news with a soundbite from ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu, who says that the numbers are "meaningfully worse than they appear."
"When adjusting for inflation, the volume of construction services delivered by the U.S. commercial contractors actually declined in July," explains Goodman.
ABC blames the construction slowdown on higher materials prices and worsening skills shortages.
Gooodman provides additional details from the analysis, such as the trend having a bigger impact on public construction spending compared to private. The sectors with the largest declines were 1) public safety (-38.5%), lodging (-30%), and conservation and development (-21.5%).
FULL STORY: Delta variant 'significantly' slowing construction recovery, economist says
The Future of Downtowns Still Hangs in the Balance
Center City in Philadelphia offers a case study for one of the largest and potentially most consequential contingencies of the pandemic: What happens to downtowns is most workers never come back to the office?
Detroit as a Model for 'Building Back Better'
Cities have more experience, and examples, than they might realize when it comes to reinventing systems of investment and governance to recover from the economic ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Office Demand in Seattle Suddenly Back and Bigger Than Ever
The fortunes of commercial real estate in Seattle have completely reversed since February, according to a new analysis.
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service