Discovery at Carlson·34 New bridges build connections for startups
New bridges build connections for startups
After a period of pandemic slowdown, individuals in business are seeking new ways to connect with others.
That link could be–literally–walkways, according to a paper Carlson School of Management Assistant Professor Sunasir Dutta has co-written with engineers Daniel Erian Armanios of the University of Oxford and Jaison D. Desai of the U.S. Army’s Technical Warfare Center.
Their findings suggest constructing physical bridges over rivers or other obstacles can spur entrepreneurship, even ‘startups’ which are angel- and venture capital-funded. More importantly, bridges with provisions for pedestrians or cyclists can increase development in special ways.
“We found that multi-modal bridges really made a difference in terms of human connection and producing startups,” said Dutta. “Also, there’s much untapped potential in physical bridge building in the U.S. Connectivity is a worthy investment.”
Published in the journal Organization Science, Dutta and his colleagues analyzed bridge-related and other variables for more than 350 statistical areas in the U.S. from 1992-2012, and counted the number of angel- and VC-funded businesses founded in a year in those areas. They controlled for cities and states more likely to make infrastructure improvements, years with increased infrastructure activity, and partialed out the emergence of predictable businesses—such as construction contractors.
While mainly a panel-data (multi-year) study across 350+ areas in the US, the team also looked at two qualitative examples, the Ohio River Bridges Project connecting Louisville, Kentucky—via several bridges—to various communities; and San Diego’s Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge between the city’s downtown and harbor front.
The bridges in both cases were a source of connection that led to higher rates of businesses being founded throughout the city and even in close proximity to the water crossing, Dutta said. “For us that was about how physical connectivity which is typically taken for granted, really made things happen.”
Dutta and his colleagues found that new bridges increase startup founding, the rate of founders entering entrepreneurship—and resulting businesses increased the number of early-stage investors. More significantly, they learned that resulting ventures are more likely to span a broader range of industry categories.
However, in follow-on work, Dutta observed there’s room for considering equity in all bridge projects.
“Places that lack civic engagement or a say in the policy process often get bridges they don’t want,” said Dutta. “Bridges are especially a positive force if communities affected by them are consulted, and the bridges allow them to get across and connect with others—not just have neighborhoods and communities split by structures cutting across them.”
For Dutta, the impact of multi-modal bridges stands out. Since the San Diego Harbor Bridge’s construction in 2011 until July 2020, a daily average of 6,959 individuals on foot or bicycle crossed the bridge—the highest daily average of any bridge in the city. This produces “greater connectivity and the potential for serendipitous interactions” as individuals walk or bike across, Dutta said.
“We were surprised how much more effective bridges with a pedestrian side are,” Dutta said. “For one thing, more people get across each day if they have the ability to walk or bike. Walkways are basically an unheralded means of mixing people and innovation.”
兴建桥梁，刺激创业
在由于新冠疫情而放缓一段时间后，业界人士已经开始寻求建立联络的新方式。
这种方式可以是实实在在的路桥。这是卡尔森管理学院副教授Sunasir Dutta、牛津大学工程师Daniel Erian Armanios和美国陆军技战术中心工程师Jaison D. Desai共同撰写的论文得出的结论。
他们的研究结果表明，修建跨域河流或其他障碍物的桥梁可以刺激创业，甚至包括接受天使投资和风投的“初创企业”。此外，配有人行道和自行车道的桥梁更能促进发展。
“我们发现，多式联运的桥梁能够有效促进人际互联、推动初创企业的建立。美国在路桥建设方面还有很大潜力，值得投资。”Dutta说。
该论文发表在《组织科学》杂志。论文分析了1992至2012年美国350多个统计区域内的桥梁相关变量和其他变量，统计了区域中一年内成立的天使投资和风投机构的数量。在处理变量时，他们控制了较有可能改善基础设施的城市和州，控制了基础设施活动增加的年份，并剔除了建筑承包商等意料之中的企业。
该项研究主要针对美国350多个地区的多年期面板数据，同时定性分析了两个案例：俄亥俄河大桥，该项目包含数座桥梁，将肯塔基州路易斯维尔与多个社区连接起来；人车两用的圣地亚哥港湾大桥，连接市中心和临港区。
在上述两个案例中，桥梁带来了连接，推动了整个城市创业率的提高，甚至包括桥梁跨水区的周边区域。“路桥经常被视而不见，而我们研究的就是路桥如何影响发展。”
该项研究发现，兴建桥梁会拉高初创企业的数量和企业家创业的速度，并相应地提高了早期投资机构的数量。更重要的是，这些企业涉及的行业类别更广泛。
然而，后续研究发现，桥梁项目在公平性方面普遍存在不足。
“如果大众不能参与决策、对政策缺乏发言权，最后修建的桥梁往往是不实用的。如果在开始修建之前咨询相关社区，并且桥梁方便居民穿行、而不是割裂社区，桥梁带来的积极作用则会更大。”
多式联运的桥梁效果尤其突出。圣地亚哥港湾大桥于2011年建成，截至2020年7月，平均每天有6,959人次步行或骑自行车过桥——超过了圣地亚哥的其他所有桥梁。Dutta表示，允许步行和自行车通过，“提高了连通性、创造偶然互动的机会”。
“配备人行道的桥梁，效率高得让我们惊讶。如果允许步行和骑自行车，每天过桥的人数会增加。人行道是一种不为人知的促进人际互联、带来创新的手段。”
Sunasir Dutta
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Strategic Management & Entrepreneurship
Education:
Ph.D. 2014 Business Administration Stanford Graduate School of Business
Expertise:
- Organization Theory
- Management
- Collective Action
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Quantitative Methods
