Educated cities

Considering the trend of growth of several cities, we'll see that it is strongly related to the historical period and the technological development of its nation. For example many cities, such as Detroit, Liverpool, Cleveland and St. Louis, are nowadays half the size they where in 1950. This decline happened in several cases in conjunction with the exponential growth of other cities. So what are the main factors that could shape the destiny of a city?

The main factor is related to the development of technology: the cities i have referred to before were mainly industrial cities, and this was the cause of their decline in the second half of the 20th century. The development of technology and communication systems lead to a shift of demand, that went from industrial and production sector, to services' one.

However not all cities accepted their decline, and many managed to reinvent themselves. For instance Seattle is now considered one of the capitals of the information sector, thanks to companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, AT&T and T-mobile.

On the other hand, more and more cities are basing their success on education. Boston and New York appear to be the greatest representatives of this trend, and their soaring success seems to confirm that this could be the most prolific sector for a city. Indeed, the presence of colleges in a metropolitan area in 1940 is associated with higher earnings and faster growth today. High education could be the only way to grant growth on long terms to a city.

Higher education leads to more specialized jobs and to higher wages. A metropolitan area characterized by a raised level of education implies the creation of several sectors in which local residents are specialized. The creation of a new skilled ruling class, able to face with required abilities, could eventually lead to a further development of a city.

On long term planning, the only possible foundation of growth could be instruction. Skills, not structures are the most effective way to avoid urban failure.