The Porter stuff, too, all harkens back to the Structure of Scientific Revolutions: First, there is a new technological driver; Second, the implementation and dispersion.

So many technological drivers emerge from that Toynbee-esque challenge/challenge-faced stuff: sign companies in Iraq, Syria and Turkey that made a living changing out signs while the Arabization movements in the 1990s eliminated Kurdish, Aramean and Christian town names.

Otherwise, who could imagine that anyone could make money making new signs for ancient areas.

I keeping hearing about local clusters, and creative urban centers as if they were something new and magical, but its all just Jane Jacobs and David Bowie (Ch-ch-ch-changes...): that marvelous interaction that occurs between people, communities, ideas, problems and their interactions.

Hanover, MD c. 1995. We built a business park near NSA and BWI Airport, attracted a lot of defense contractors, which attracted more defense contractors, which attracted techno headhunters, then restaurants, hotels, retail, college satellites, which led to Arundel Mills Mall and a new casino under construction. Go figure?