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Introducing Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World

Blog Post | Urbanization

Introducing Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World

“Cities, the dense agglomerations that dot the globe, have been engines of innovation since Plato and Socrates bickered in an Athenian marketplace,” as urban economist Edward Glaeser explains in his book The Triumph of the City.

Athens’s storied breakthroughs in philosophy are but one example of how cities have often been the sites of pivotal advances throughout history. Kyoto gave us the novel. Bologna gave us the university. Florence gave us the Renaissance. Paris gave us the Enlightenment. Manchester gave us the Industrial Revolution. Los Angeles gave us cinema. Postwar New York gave us modern finance . . . the list goes on. As Glaeser also notes, “Wandering these cities—whether down cobblestone sidewalks or grid-cutting cross streets, around roundabouts or under freeways—is to study nothing less than human progress.”

If you’re not able to travel to each of these extraordinary cities, perhaps the next best thing is to embark on a virtual tour from the comfort of your home. To that end, I wrote a book surveying 40 of history’s greatest urban centers, showcasing each city at a moment in time when it notably contributed to progress.

Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World offers a fact-filled yet accessible crash course in global urban history, spanning from the agricultural revolution to the digital revolution. This book affirms the importance of cities to the story of human progress and innovation by shining a spotlight on some of the places that have helped create the modern world.

The book’s chapters can guide you through the Library of Alexandria, the stock exchange of Dutch Golden Age-era Amsterdam, and the pubs of Edinburgh during the Scottish Enlightenment, all in an afternoon.

Centers of Progress “takes the reader on a time-travel cruise through the great flash points of human activity to catch innovations that have transformed human lives” at their moment of invention, according to writer Matt Ridley in the insightful foreword that he kindly provided. Come explore Agra as the Taj Mahal was erected and Cambridge as Isaac Newton penned the Principia. Meet engineers in Ancient Rome, Silk Road merchants in Tang Dynasty Chang’an, music composers in 19th-century Vienna, and Space Age flight controllers in Houston.

Learning about past achievements may even hold the secret to fostering innovation in the present.

As I note in the book, “Although there are some exceptions, most cities reach their creative peak during periods of peace. Most centers of progress also thrive during times of relative social, intellectual, and economic freedom, as well as openness to intercultural exchange and trade. And centers of progress tend to be highly populated. . . . Identifying those common denominators among the places that have produced history’s greatest achievements is one way to learn what causes progress in the first place. After all, change is a constant, but progress is not.”

From the fall of the Berlin Wall to Hong Kong’s transformation from a war-ravaged “barren island” into a prosperous metropolis, many of the stories featured in Centers of Progress hold valuable lessons about the importance of ideas, people, and freedom. I hope that you will consider joining me on a journey through the book’s pages to some of history’s greatest centers of progress.

Financial Post | Energy Production

World Bank May Drop Ban on Funding Nuclear Power

“The head of the World Bank said he asked the lender’s board to reverse its long-standing policy against funding nuclear power projects, saying the technology offers a green option for poor countries.

‘The good news is the board has come together and said they’re willing to discuss’ the change, World Bank President Ajay Banga said Thursday at an event in Washington, adding that he expects the move to be included in a broader energy policy proposal expected in June 2026.”

From Financial Post.

Bloomberg | Communications

Vietnam Allows Elon Musk’s Starlink to Provide Pilot Service

“Vietnam will allow Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide satellite internet services in the country for a pilot period of five years, with a maximum of 600,000 subscribers, after the government pushed through regulatory changes.

The decision paves the way for SpaceX to invest on a trial basis in telecommunications services using low-orbit satellite technology until Jan. 1 2031, according to a government statement.

There will be no restrictions on foreign ownership and the business will be ‘based on principles that ensure national defense and security,’ the statement said.

It will also allow for internet access at sea and on airplanes, which opens up potential for inflight WiFi on Vietnamese airlines.”

From Bloomberg.

New York Times | Health & Medical Care

FDA Approves Studies of Pig Organ Transplants

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to two biotechnology companies for clinical trials that will transplant organs from genetically modified pigs into people with kidney failure. If successful, these studies could lead to the broader use of cross-species transplantation, a dream of medical scientists for centuries…

The United Therapeutics study, which is expected to begin midyear, will start with six patients who have been on dialysis for at least six months but do not have other serious medical problems. There will be a three-month waiting period between each transplant so that doctors can learn from the outcomes.

If the first six transplants are successful, the trial will expand to include up to 50 participants in what is called a phaseless trial — a type of study that combines the traditional Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials and can lead directly to approval…

The eGenesis trial will begin with three patients with kidney failure who are unlikely to receive a human organ within five years.”

From New York Times.

New Atlas | Noncommunicable Disease

US Approves “Milestone” Parkinson’s Treatment for 2025 Release

“Americans will soon have access to an infusion device that provides round-the-clock effective relief of Parkinson’s disease. The US FDA this week approved the sale of the treatment, which harnesses innovative technology to make managing the condition easier and more impactful, will be available towards the end of 2025.

The treatment, which will be sold under the name Onapgo, is essentially a subcutaneous – under the skin – device that allows for continuous infusion of the dopamine agonist apomorphine hydrochloride to reduce ‘off’ episodes. These episodes are periods during the day and night when lepodova medication wears off between doses and adverse motor-function symptoms (dyskensia) become amplified. In trial, Onapgo – formerly known as SPN-830 – significantly reduced these daily off episodes by an average of 2.47 hours, compared to the placebo treatment (0.58 hours).”

From New Atlas.