A front-page op-ed by SFI External Professor Luis Bettencourt describes researchers' work to quantify what is remarkable about individual cities by adjusting for city size. The piece is the first in a series by SFI scientists, to be published once a month in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
"A city's qualities are much more than static snapshots in space and time. A city is a process of cultural and economic development, with a large churn of people and businesses trying their lot, coming and going," Bettencourt writes. "Our research shows that, even as this happens, what is exceptional about a city tends to be maintained, and often is amplified, as time progresses. As a result, events and policies that shape the local flavor of a place are fundamental in setting the tone for its trajectory as it grows. Affluence and a vibrant cultural scene can be important social magnets, but security and excellence in education are equally important ingredients for the creation of virtuous cycles of growth, innovation and prosperity."
"We [hope] a more scientific approach to these fundamental problems will ultimately reveal new insights on the nature of human societies and institutions and in this way help decision-makers create better policy and more vibrant communities," he adds.
Read the Santa Fe New Mexican op-ed (January 24, 2011)
More about SFI's cities and scaling research
Read the Corvallis, Oregon, Gazette-Times article (January 25, 2011)