The Northeast Corridor Commission (NEC) commissioned several studies to show the impact of the Northeast Corridor rail services (Amtrak, Commuter Rail, and Freight Rail) in the economic development of the Northeastern United States (Boston, MA to Washington, D.C.). Foursquare ITP led the qualitative research, stakeholder engagement, and developed key quantaitive metrics for the The Northeast Corridor and the American Economy, a Report to Congress that innovatively combined the use of both quantitative and qualitative research methods, utilizing data on a variety of economic activity measures as well as information from 40 individual business interviews and high-level focus groups with business leaders in four cities.
Foursquare ITP also assisted with the development of the methodology, data analysis, and case studies for this follow-on analysis to the 2014 report, Investing in the Northeast Corridor. In this study, our team updated case studies from The Northeast Corridor and the American Economy that examined the role of communuter and intercity rail in innovation districts, agglomeration economies, and the new economy centered around the development of innovation districts in Philadelphia, PA, Boston, MA and the University of Delaware’s STAR campus. We also developed estimates of business revenue generated and monetized trip time savings through a NEC service improvement scenario for three mid-sized cities: Wilmington, DE, Hartford, CT, and Providence, RI.