Which city may win this $5 billion Super Bowl of economic development" As economist Jed Kolko put it yesterday on Twitter, ?Thank you, @amazon, for making site selection great again.?
The announcement that Amazon plans to build a second headquarters in North America, and will accept proposals from cities until October 19th, has led to a frenzy of speculation, urban planning debates, and mayoral jockeying for what may be one of the most impactful developments in the country: an ?HQ2? that would house up to 50,000 highly paid employees and cost upwards of $5 billion.
Civic leaders and boosters began debating and discussing the merits of their respective cities quickly after the news broke and the requirements were released. Those precise requirements?including metro areas with more than one million people, a stable, business-friendly environment, urban or suburban location that can retain tech talent, proximity to major highways and an international airport, access to mass transit?spurred seemingly every major city except Seattle to express interest in one way or another. Meanwhile, a series of lengthy Twitter threads and discussions initiated or led by Richard Florida made cases for dozens of cities.
Map of local governments who have released statements saying they are a good location for the Amazon HQ. pic.twitter.com/wp2u30jtxo? Chris Hagan (@chrishagan) September 7, 2017

This takes the compulsion to create innovation hubs to a new level, and leaders are...