The Economy of Cities
Monday, March 21, 2011 at 10:00PM | Atul Sharma 
Source: Stockphotopro.com
Edward Glaeser's brief, yet convincing article outlines the reasons for the successful transition of Seattle from a declining industrial economy: A white collar economy coupled with dense, smart growth. As I read the article however, I could not help but wonder where the wealth that was being generated in Seattle was actually ending up. And how many of these people benefitting from this success story actually live in Seattle. All the companies mentioned by Mr. Glaeser are multinationals with substantial overseas operations. He points out the misgivings of the large industrial monolith, but is the globally attenuated structure of the service economy really any better? Are these companies really bringing true value to the place they are "located" in or do they simply utilize the cheapest possible human capital to further their own personal goals?