Urban Colossus: Why is New York America's Largest City?
Citation: Edward L. Glaeser (2005) Urban Colossus: Why is New York America's Largest City?.
DOI (original publisher): 10.1.1.297.5127
Semantic Scholar (metadata): 10.1.1.297.5127
Sci-Hub (fulltext): 10.1.1.297.5127
Internet Archive Scholar (search for fulltext): Urban Colossus: Why is New York America's Largest City?
Download: https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/research/epr/05v11n2/0512glae.pdf
Tagged:
Summary
NYC has the best (deepest, ice-free, connected to hinterland, access to ocean) port, to 1790-1860 period Boston and Philadelphia were peers to New York City in many respects. During that period it surpassed them and has been unchallenged as the USA's greatest city since.
1790-1860 NYC came to dominate shipping and immigration, with industries such as sugar, publishing, and garments clustering there due to agglomeration economies and transportation costs, but also:
- mismatch between supply and demand in South abetted demand for large market that eliminated need for bilateral commodity transactions
- information advantages in various industries which could have been located elsewhere (eg ready-made clothing, NYC closer to consumers than London, unauthorized publication of English authors, NYC closer and more frequent contacts with English ports than Philadelphia)
NYC suffered shocks from automobiles like all older cities, but less so; it had more diverse economy than eg Pittsburgh.
NYC financial sector came to dominate after decline of importance as port began, abetted by information advantage due to proximity (Chicago nearest comparison), but financial dominance (previously peer to Philadelphia) came about through slight advantages in agglomeration, costs, and information previously described.
History of NYC characterized relative to Boston as ongoing triumph vs. small-scale entrepreneurial reinvention.
