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THE possibility of a new campus for the University of Hawaii's John A. Burns Medical School in the makai area of Kakaako is particularly exciting. Such a development could do far more than rejuvenate the medical school. Med center:
A good fit in KakaakoToday, universities have the potential of stimulating economic growth in new, high-value industries by attracting private companies that feed off a university's research and development activities.
If cards are played right, building a new medical campus in Kakaako could finally lead Hawaii's economy in a new direction -- establishing an internationally recognized health and wellness industry centered in a new research park built around the medical school.
The new medical/research center could bring together a number of concepts that have been floated in the last decade but have yet to coalesce into a concrete plan.
Many have recognized Hawaii's international image as a place of great weather and fit people, and wondered how to convert that into a health and wellness industry.
This state has also struggled with the question of best use for the 200-plus acres of publicly owned land known as the Kakaako makai area, prime waterfront land in central Honolulu. Some of it is ceded, some not.
While Hawaii's becoming some kind of health-care destination has been talked about for some time, it has been difficult to find a marketable niche.
Several medical centers established themselves long ago in the high intervention health services such as surgery, organ transplants and cancer treatment. It is tough to compete with a Stanford Medical Center or University of Texas, which draws the wealthy from all over the world for extraordinary treatment.
On the other hand, the prevention of disease and mitigation of aging through knowledge of diet, exercise, physical therapy, mental health and spiritualism is a relatively wide open field. It has tremendous potential, given the amount of middle-class and middle-aged baby boomers. This may be Hawaii's niche opportunity.
By choosing to further the knowledge in health and wellness, the UH medical school could become the keystone in a new economic development strategy for Hawaii and an international player in a growing industry.
As the anchor tenant in a new development, with sufficient land to expand in such a spectacular and well-located site, UH could attract a number of private research entities, perhaps funded by international pharmaceutical companies eager to stay abreast of this growing field.
The result: new investment in Hawaii, creating well-paying jobs that depend on proximity to UH and cannot be transferred elsewhere.
This centralized knowledge bank could also seed the development of new therapeutic centers at existing hospitality sites around the islands, allowing the economic benefits to be widely shared and essentially creating new, high-expenditure tourism products.
There are several key considerations on the formation of a new research center anchored by the medical school:
A new medical/research center anchored by the UH Medical School may be the spark that the makai area has always needed to achieve the grand vision of redevelopment and propel Hawaii into the knowledge economy. It can create an extraordinary place that will feed our emotional needs for a great home along with functional needs for a vibrant economy.It should be neither a government project nor a private development. As with the proposed aquarium, a dynamic new group of civic and business leaders should be assembled to act as master developer and chartered as a private, non-profit entity.
Alex Achimore, an architect and urban planner,
was a planning director for the HCDA from 1995-98. Later he consulted
for one of the teams vying for development rights in the makai area.
He now lives in Davis, Calif., and manages development projects
for the University of California.