The rise of remote work and a need for new talent may be pushing tech companies away from their traditional hubs, but 'superstar' cities continue to lead the way.
Mark Muro and Yang You summarize an analysis from Brookings that evaluates the potential for a dispersal of tech jobs from a narrow group of employment hubs. "Overall, tech fundamentally remains a 'winner-take-most' employment sector even amid widespread disruption, including the national remote-work explosion," but there are encouraging signs that tech employment is starting to disperse.
"A group of nine increasingly sizable 'rising stars' grew as fast as the superstars in 2020. Mostly in the interior or Sun Belt, rising stars Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Miami, Orlando, Fla., San Diego, Kansas City, Mo., St. Louis, and Salt Lake City all gained ground through the first year of the pandemic." The article notes that several regional hubs also saw growth in the tech sector, and small towns with high quality of life factors experienced growth as remote workers flocked to better climates, small-town amenities, and affordable housing costs.
"Far from definitive, the new information provides real world, at least temporary evidence for what AOL co-founder and investor Steve Case calls 'the rise of the rest'—the spread of tech activity into the heartland." It remains to be seen whether this shift will become a long-term trend. "If the next few years find these firms targeting new talent in new places by boosting their presence in metro areas far from the usual superstars, that could by itself alter the current narrow geography of tech."
FULL STORY: Tech jobs spread out during the pandemic, but future dispersal isn’t guaranteed
Which Cities Have the Most Remote Workers?
Across the country, a median of 12.5 percent of workers continue to perform their jobs remotely.
Housing Scarcity in Rural America
With the growth of ‘Zoom towns’ and the sharply rising demand for small-town living, rural communities are facing pressure to maintain housing affordability for long-time residents and boost housing production.
How Remote Work Could Reshape American Cities
If projections about remote work hold true, the resulting migration could shift economic centers, disperse housing market pressures, and transform the politics of small communities.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service