INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Brooks RainwaterContributorMore posts by this contributor
Scott Andes is the program director for the National League of Cities City
Innovation Ecosystem program
The more than year-long dance between cities and Amazon for its second headquarters is finally over, with New York City and Washington,
DC, capturing the big prize
With one of the largest economic development windfalls in a generation on the line, 238 cities used every tactic in the book to court the
ecosystems for the Amazon yet to be builtIn September 2017, Amazon announced that it would seek a second headquarters
on what the company sought, and it included everything any good urbanist would want, with walkability, transportation and cultural
characteristics on the docket
But, of course, incentives were also high on the list.Amazon could have been a transformational catalyst for a plethora of cities throughout
the United States , but instead, it chose two superstar cities: the number one and five metro areas by GDP which, combined, amounts to a
from afar, but instead that we should be growing it in our own waters
Amazon itself is a great example of this
exists.The upshot is that cities that rely only on attracting massive technology companies are usually too late.At the National League of
With support from the Schmidt Futures Foundation, 50 cities, ranging from rural townships, college towns and major metros, have joined with
more than 200 local partners and leveraged over $100 million in regional and national resources to support young businesses, leverage
technology and expand STEM education and workforce training for all.The investments these cities are making today may in fact be the
adjacent to a tier-one research university, the University of Texas
more than $2 billion in academic research, ranking it third in the nation behind Boston and Philadelphia
In order to ensure everyone participates in the expanding research-based startup ecosystem, the city is transforming community recreation
centers into maker and technology training centers to connect disadvantaged youth and families to new skills and careers in technology
Medical Center (BNMC) is home to eight academic institutions and hospitals and more than 150 private technology and health companies
provide free space and mentorship to 10 high-potential minority- and/or women-owned startups.DenverLike Seattle, real estate development in
Denver is growing at a feverish rate
And while the growth is bringing new opportunity, the city is expanding faster than the workforce can keep pace
hub for both technical and creative talent
The city of Providence, in collaboration with its higher education institutions and two hospital systems, has created a new
with more than 4.5 times the national average robotics RD within its borders
To meet future demand and ensure the region has an inclusive growth strategy, the city of Tampa, with 13 university, civic and private
demonstrate the innovation we are seeing on the ground now, all throughout the country
The seeds of success have been planted with people, partnerships and public leadership at the fore
