Our research shows that cities are remarkably
robust: success, once achieved, is sustained
for several decades or longer6, thereby
setting a city on a long run of creativity and
prosperity. A great example of success is
metropolitan San Jose, home to the Silicon
Valley, which has been consistently overperforming
relative to expectations for its size
for at least 50 years, well before the advent of
modern hi-tech industry. Unfortunately, the
reverse is also true: it is very hard to turn
around urban decay swiftly. Ineffective