The Geography of Innovation

RICHARD FLORIDA

AUG 3, 2017

https://www.citylab.com/life/2017/08/the-geography-of-innovation/530349/

In this fascinating article by famed author Richard Florida, I learned that while it is true that urban areas produce much of U.S. innovation, it is not true that the densest urban areas dominate. You can see on the map below that there is a clear relationship between urbanity and patents. However, it turns out that the suburbs, those middling density places surrounding our great cities, produce the largest number of new inventions. Even more interesting, is the observation he makes that the truly most disruptive and creative innovations are concentrated in our cities, after all. And this is right in line with what I try to convey to my students about the role cities have played in our cultural history because they cause the intersection of so many different types of people, as well as transportation routes, educational institutions, artistic endeavors, and diverse ideological positions.

He's a good writer. Follow the link above for a more thorough discussion of the data.

Rates of innovation by county subdivision across the U.S. (Berkes & Gaetani)

Really Good News for a Change: The short history of global living conditions and why it matters that we know it - by Max Roser

The short history of global living conditions and why it matters that we know it
https://ourworldindata.org/a-history-of-global-living-conditions-in-5-charts/

These graphs speak for themselves. Analyze them carefully. The one thing I would add to this, however, is that if I were to show you graphs on the health of ecosystems and ecosystem services you would get a much more negative impression of the trajectory of history. So, essentially, what we are facing now is ever improving human welfare and systematic destruction of natural systems. We must find a way to continue these improvements while protecting resources (and wild beauty) for future generations. The whole article is well worth a short read.