What Makes Boston One of the Smartest Cities in the World?

Cohen profiles some of the business models and approaches to supporting innovation that make the city the premier "innovation ecosystem in the world," outside of Silicon Valley. He spotlights MassChallenge, "Perhaps the largest single accelerator in the world", and MIT's Legatum Center, which engages, "talented MIT students who want to make for-profit startups that have a high impact in developing countries," and others to support his thesis.

According to Cohen, "One of the under-explored components of smart cities is how they enable
and attract smart citizens to innovate solutions that improve the
quality of life locally and around the globe, all while growing the
local and regional economy." And in Boston, "which has many other
smart characteristics--including quality transit and renewable energy
leadership--" programs such as those described by Cohen are, "succeeding
in facilitating the next wave of startups and are attracting
entrepreneurs from across the world."