Summary of Geofusion

Where you live, work and do business makes a difference. Geography matters.

Despite globalization, the telecommunications revolution and increased trade – and counter to proclamations announcing the irrelevance of place – your location makes or breaks careers, businesses and lives. Geography determines where global innovation, finance and consumer consumption occurs. People earn high wages in specific regions, and that’s where producers aim their marketing.

Locations compete for creative industry, talent and relevance. They fight to grow into hubs for knowledge, data and air traffic. People living in places that lose in these races often suffer lower GDP and quality of life.

Geography may matter more than any other single factor. In cultural, historic and geopolitical terms, territory always mattered most. Conflicts in the Middle East, the South China Sea and the Crimean Peninsula, for example, evidence the continued strategic relevance of place. Geographical factors often determine the fate of countries, regions and cities, giving rise to “geo-economics.”

The...