Brad Plumer discusses the findings of a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute that delves into the impact that U.S. cities have on the national and global economy, and assesses the reasons for their influence.
Plumer expands on one of the key findings of the new McKinsey report, which found that, "the United States appears to be wealthier than Europe because it has a greater share of its population living in large, productive cities." This finding is based on data in the report that shows, "Roughly 83 percent of America's GDP came from its 'large cities,' defined as cities with a population of 150,000 or more. By contrast, China got 78 percent of its GDP from large cities and Western Europe got a surprisingly small 65 percent of its GDP from its large urban areas."
An article by Yuval Rosenberg in The Fiscal Times investigates one of the report's other key findings, that "Large U.S. cities are expected to generate more than 10 percent of global GDP growth in the next 15 years, a larger contribution than all of the large cities of other developed countries combined." The report attributes that advantage to America's second tier cities, rather than New York or Los Angeles, which "have economic and size advantages over the second tier of European cities."
"The U.S. has a broad base of cities such as Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco that are very large and important cities and contribute much more than their counterparts – let's say No. 3 to No. 30 in Western Europe," says Jaana Remes, a senior fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute and co-author of the new report. "It's the strength of the middleweight cities across the U.S. that really is the differentiator."
FULL STORY: Why is the U.S. wealthier than Europe? Give credit to its cities.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie