Leveraging regional tech hubs to advance economic inclusion

Congress has advanced major legislation this summer aimed at establishing regional technology hubs to drive growth in new regions far from the nation’s coastal “superstar” metros. One goal of this initiative is to help restore American economic dynamism and create more globally competitive regional centers. But another goal is to support the aim of fostering economic, racial, and geographic inclusion—in tech and beyond. In that fashion, creating a network of regional tech hubs across the nation represents not just an economic priority but one of equity.

To assess that goal, the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program hosted an event on Tuesday, July 13 making the case for regional tech hubs as important potential drivers of growth, opportunity, and inclusion for underrepresented people and places. Following remarks by Brookings Senior Fellow Mark Muro, a panel of leaders and entrepreneurs from the heartland and American South discussed the potential impacts of Congress’s tech hub proposal on economic inclusion in their communities.

Viewers submitted questions by emailing events@brookings.edu or tweeting to @BrookingsMetro using the hashtag #TechHubs.