Formerly prosperous cities across the United States, struggling to keep
up with an increasingly global economy and the continued decline of
post-war industries like manufacturing, face the issue of how to adapt
to today's knowledge economy. In Invention and Reinvention, authors
Mary Walshok and Abraham Shragge chronicle San Diego's transformation
from a small West Coast settlement to a booming military metropolis and
then to a successful innovation hub. This instructive story of a
second-tier city that transformed its core economic identity can serve
as a rich case and a model for similar regions.
Stressing the role that cultural values and social dynamics played in
its transition, the authors discern five distinct, recurring factors
upon which San Diego capitalized at key junctures in its economic
growth. San Diego--though not always a star city--has been able to
repurpose its assets and realign its economic development strategies
continuously in order to sustain prosperity. Chronicling over a century
of adaptation, this book offers a lively and penetrating tale of how one
city reinvented itself to meet the demands of today's economy, lighting
the way for others.