Seattle's Growth Through Human Capital

Despite what seemed to be a drained post-industrial condition in the 1970s, Seattle has been growing. This post looks into why.

1 minute read

March 9, 2011, 11:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


As economist Edward L. Glaeser writes, Seattle and Detroit were very much the same, but also very different.

"As Boeing scaled back its Seattle employment, the city floundered. By 1971, a much-discussed billboard read "Would the last person to leave Seattle please turn out the lights?"

But there was a crucial difference between Seattle and Detroit. Unlike Ford and General Motors, Boeing employed highly educated workers. Almost since its inception, Seattle has been committed to education and has benefited from the University of Washington, which is based there. Skills are the source of Seattle's strength.

Over the last three decades, human capital has become increasingly linked with urban growth outside the Sun Belt."

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 in The New York Times

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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