Economy
The Economic Strength of Cities
A new measurement - based on satellite images - highlights cities' key role in economic development.
More and more, cities are not just the principle economic drivers and organizers of the world - they are the world. As of half a decade ago, more than half the world’s population lives in cities, up from just 3 percent two centuries ago. By 2050, that percentage could reach 70 percent. And yet our most reliable economic metrics (think GDP) measure national growth.
Until now. Satellite images of the world at night allow us to estimate and compare economic data for cities, metros, and megaregions, an astonishingly reliable measurement known as Light Based Regional Product.