Innovation disproportionately happens in cities. Carlino, Chatterjee, and Hunt (2007) find, all else equal, that doubling the number of jobs per square mile is associated with 20% more patents per capita. Why? What is it about packing people together that makes them so innovative? I’ll argue in the next few weeks that a big part of the answer is that it’s about meeting new people.
Cities as a Platform to Mix Up Knowledge
Cities as a Platform to Mix Up Knowledge
Cities as a Platform to Mix Up Knowledge
Innovation disproportionately happens in cities. Carlino, Chatterjee, and Hunt (2007) find, all else equal, that doubling the number of jobs per square mile is associated with 20% more patents per capita. Why? What is it about packing people together that makes them so innovative? I’ll argue in the next few weeks that a big part of the answer is that it’s about meeting new people.