2 ms·

I disagree with the article's premise that urban growth is driven by creativity. For example, this doesn't explain Tokyo. Japan's capital of creativity is Osak

• Bartweiss 10y ago
  Doesn't ubranization drive urbanization? I mean, people (myself included) treat living in cities as end in itself. People pay more of their income in rent just for the access and experience of urban life. So yeah, I think Cowen's justification is off. There is a second layer where I agree with Cowen more, which is that urban cash flows need some 'engine'. People can only pay based on their salaries, and some fraction of spending in a city flows out (to food, industry, etc). So yeah, having a major economic driver raises your price cap, but it doesn't have to be creative. It just has to be something you can effectively do in a city and get money from elsewhere. I don't know what it would be for Tokyo, but in my home town it was urban-friendly manufacturing not creativity.