Can business incubators bring the New Economy to Gateway Cities?
By Benjamin Forman and Samantha Vidal Two years have passed since MassINC published its 2007 Gateway Cities report, which described the growing concentration of high technology activity in the 75 communities that make up Greater Boston. During this time, the concentration of the state’s New Economy has only become more pronounced, as seen on the maps below (click on any one of them to enlarge all four). With few exceptions, it looks like the recession will intensify geographic disparities, with Greater Boston’s knowledge industries emerging healthier than ever, and old economy industries that dominate other parts of the state suffering heavy losses. But Massachusetts can no longer ignore the rest of the state. Without explicit strategies to balance growth, the Commonwealth’s knowledge economy will soon form just one island of prosperity, whose capacity for growth will be quickly overtopped in an economic turnaround. Business incubators are one tool to sow growth in other parts of the s
