Density Can Drive Prosperity

David Roberts at Grist argues that density doesn't just have those hippie benefits like improving the environment or creating communities - it also can create engines of prosperity and economic growth.

1 minute read

May 31, 2011, 2:00 PM PDT

By Tim Halbur

Roberts breaks it down:

"Here's the basic idea: When smart, skilled people start to gather in a place, the process becomes self-perpetuating. More smart, skilled people show up to be near the others. And the more smart, skilled people you get close together, the more you reduce transaction costs and increase "knowledge spillover," which leads to commerce and innovation."

He points to Economics of Agglomeration: Cities, Industrial Location, and Regional Growth by Masahisa Fujita and Jacques-Francois Thisse as evidence.

FULL STORY: Great places: smart density as part of economic flourishing

Tuesday, May 31, 2011 in Grist

Community / Economic Development United States Density Economic Benefits Clusters

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