Cities of Knowledge

by O'Mara, Margaret Pugh

• ISBN13: 9780691117164
• ISBN10: 0691117160
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-09-14
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

What is the magic formula for turning a place into a high-tech capital? How can a city or region become a high-tech powerhouse like Silicon Valley? For over half a century, through boom times and bust, business leaders and politicians have tried to become "the next Silicon Valley," but few have succeeded. This book examines why high-tech development became so economically important late in the twentieth century, and why its magic formula of people, jobs, capital, and institutions has been so difficult to replicate. Margaret O'Mara shows that high-tech regions are not simply accidental market creations but "cities of knowledge"--planned communities of scientific production that were shaped and subsidized by the original venture capitalist, the Cold War defense complex. At the heart of the story is the American research university, an institution enriched by Cold War spending and actively engaged in economic development. The story of the city of knowledge broadens our understanding of postwar urban history and of the relationship between civil society and the state in late twentieth-century America. It leads us to further redefine the American suburb as being much more than formless "sprawl," and shows how it is in fact the ultimate post-industrial city. Understanding this history and geography is essential to planning for the future of the high-tech economy, and this book is must reading for anyone interested in building the next Silicon Valley.

Author Biography

Margaret Pugh O'Mara teaches history at Stanford University.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations and Tables	ix
Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction Discovering the City of Knowledge	1	(16)
PART ONE INTENT
Cold War Politics	17	(41)
Frameworks, 1945--1950	18	(18)
Policy and Geography, 1950--1965	36	(19)
Conclusion	55	(3)
``Multiversities,'' Cities, and Suburbs	58	(39)
The Scientist in the Garden	60	(15)
Economic Development Solutions	75	(17)
Conclusion	92	(5)
PART TWO IMPLEMENTATION
From the Farm to the Valley: Stanford University and the San Francisco Peninsula	97	(45)
A Western Retreat	99	(4)
Hot and Cold Wars	103	(7)
Land Development	110	(17)
A Model City	127	(5)
``The Battle of the Hills''	132	(7)
Conclusion	139	(3)
Building ``Brainsville'': The University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia	142	(40)
Franklin's University and Its City	143	(3)
From Computers to Medicine	146	(5)
Industrial Decline and Urban Renewal	151	(7)
Building University City	158	(8)
Scientific Industry Comes to West Philadelphia	166	(6)
Controversy and Protest	172	(8)
Conclusion	180	(2)
Selling the New South: Georgia Tech and Atlanta	182	(43)
The New Industrial South	185	(5)
Postwar Growth and Postwar Power	190	(11)
Expansion and Entrepreneurship at Georgia Tech	201	(6)
Selling Atlanta in the Space Age	207	(9)
Research Parks, Office Parks, and Another Stanford?	216	(5)
Conclusion	221	(4)
PART THREE LEGACY
Conclusion The Next Silicon Valley	225	(10)
Notes	235	(56)
Index	291