Urban Density and Innovation

The Urban Density and Innovation correlation--

America's Truly Densest Metros - Richard Florida - The Atlantic Cities: " . . . Density has long been seen as a key factor in the ability of cities to innovate and grow, but exactly how it does so remains an open question. Rappaport's study, in fact, suggests that there is not a one-to-one relationship between density and productivity, noting that the "productivity required to sustain above-average population densities considerably exceeds estimates of the increase in productivity caused by such high density." Silicon Valley remains tremendously innovative at medium levels of density. The world's densest cities in Asia and elsewhere can take the form of skyscraper districts which limit interaction and function as kind of vertical sprawl. At the same time, more and more start-ups and innovative high-tech firms are choosing locations in the urban districts of New York, London, San Francisco, Boston, and other cities, as opposed to the traditional industrial and office parks of suburban nerdistans. . . "

Inside the mind of Eric Schmidt | Alan Rusbridger | Technology | guardian.co.uk: "Schmidt on the power of connectivity - I would argue that Google and the internet enable people to move up the supply chain. So people, instead of doing rote work, can do more creative work. More creative work requires more jobs, more fees, and so forth. Agriculture is getting mechanised, which has been true for hundreds of years; people are moving to cities. Cities are more productive than rural farming anyway; they are more connected. Creativity will drive innovation, innovation will drive new businesses, new jobs, and so forth. That's how economics works. That is the story of the British industrial revolution. If governments stay out of the way and allow this connectivity to occur, the core human creativity, this passion for making the world a better place, takes over."

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