IT WAS an announcement to set a mayor’s heart aflutter. Amazon—one of the world’s most valuable and innovative companies—plans to build a second headquarters, equal to the Seattle original, in a North American city. A whopping $5bn in Amazon cash could ultimately be invested in the new base, which should eventually house 50,000 high-wage technology workers, a tantalisingly large crowd of tax-paying, goods-and-services-buying residents. Cities from the small but precocious, to the deindustrialised and desperate to the already rich, are preparing to throw in their bids before the October deadline.
Amazon, however, is in the market for prime sites. Its request for proposals specifies that it seeks a large city, rich in skilled workers and the urban frills they crave. It wants a “stable and business-friendly environment”, which could rule out places with micromanaging governments or dubious finances. Good access to transport, including public transport and an...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/2y1hUHX
EmoticonEmoticon