While Austin continues to see tremendous growth in the number of people who are moving into town, the city has found itself on yet another list, this time being called a “knowledge capital.”
In a new report from Brookings Institution, Austin is one of 19 cities around the world that is considered a knowledge capital based on the following factors: economic characteristics, industrial structure, and key competitiveness factors. In all, 123 cities were surveyed and the report was conducted by the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program and was released as part of the Global Cities Initiative.
According to Brookings, knowledge capitals were chosen for being productive innovation centers with Houston and Dallas making the list alongside international cities Amsterdam and Zurich. The cities on the list were chosen as “knowledge capitals” due to being “the worlds innovation frontier” that generated new ideas, along with a talented workforce and research universities in each city. To make sure that each city was fairly evaluated, Brookings mapped and grouped them based on similar metropolitan economies.
In a news release announcing the list, Brookings fellow Joseph Parilla said that “there is no one way to be a global city, but cities that understand their unique niche in the global economy are better positioned to create economic strategies that will be successful in the long-term.”
While Austin has landed on plenty of lists, we are proud to be on one that highlights our accomplishments in education and ideas. To see the list in full, go here.
