Talkin’ ’bout agglomeration

Philadelphia didn't get the nod for the location of Amazon's second headquarters. But that doesn't mean that the city's 100-page bid was a complete waste of time.

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An Eagles fan takes in the city from the top of the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, also known as the Rocky steps. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

An Eagles fan takes in the city from the top of the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, also known as the Rocky steps. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

Philadelphia didn’t get picked for the location of Amazon’s second headquarters. That’s because it doesn’t have the most important thing the tech giant is looking for: a high-tech labor force capable of furthering Amazon’s goals of expanding in media and government contracts. Instead, Amazon went to New York and Washington, D.C., which have those workers in abundance —an economic principle known as agglomeration. On this episode of The Why, Jim Saksa, a reporter for WHYY’s PlanPhilly, joins us to talk about how the city could leverage its own agglomeration effect next time a big company comes knocking.

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