Description
Book SynopsisWhat 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 developmen
Trade Review"Margaret O'Mara's book shows how very far from simple was US experience when dissected in detail and how very hard it was in reality to emulate Silicon Valley/Stanford success even for other American cities. This is a very interesting book. And a very timely one. It is refreshing to read a book with the historical perspective that policymakers and analysts alike too often lack."--Jane Marceau, Australian Review "O'Mara's study is richly wrought, and her emphasis on place adds an important new dimension to discussions of Cold War political economy and its legacies."--Daniel Lee Kleinman, Journal of American History
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations and Tables ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction Discovering the City of Knowledge 1 PART ONE: INTENT 1. Cold War Politics 17 Frameworks, 1945-1950 18 Policy and Geography, 1950-1965 36 Conclusion 55 2. "Multiversities," Cities, and Suburbs 58 The Scientist in the Garden 60 Economic Development Solutions 75 Conclusion 92 PART TWO: IMPLEMENTATION 3. From the Farm to the Valley: Stanford University and the San Francisco Peninsula 97 A Western Retreat 99 Hot and Cold Wars 103 Land Development 110 A Model City 127 "The Battle of the Hills" 132 Conclusion 139 4. Building" Brainsville" : The University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia 142 Franklin's University and Its City 143 From Computers to Medicine 146 Industrial Decline and Urban Renewal 151 Building University City 158 Scientific Industry Comes to West Philadelphia 166 Controversy and Protest 172 Conclusion 180 5. Selling the New South: Georgia Tech and Atlanta 182 The New Industrial South 185 Postwar Growth and Postwar Power 190 Expansion and Entrepreneurship at Georgia Tech 201 Selling Atlanta in the Space Age 207 Research Parks, Office Parks, and Another Stanford? 216 Conclusion 221 PART THREE LEGACY Conclusion The Next Silicon Valley 225 Notes 235 Index 291
