The hottest Regional Development Substack posts right now

AI Growth Zones are basically a push to build more domestic data centres so the UK has its own ‘sovereign’ compute capacity, and the government pairs that build-out with a levelling-up story to attract private investment.
The scheme offers targeted incentives—planning fast-tracks, grid queue priority, expert support, energy discounts, £5m for local AI adoption and retention of business-rate growth—to make specific sites more attractive to data-centre companies.
In practice sites are chosen mainly for existing grid capacity or on-site power rather than to create big local tech clusters, so the actual local economic uplift and jobs impact may be smaller than the rhetoric suggests.

The idea of expanding cities like Cambridge to the size of Bristol is being considered for economic growth.
Historically, English cities have transformed in size as economic conditions change, showing potential for growth.
Challenges like housing affordability and lab space need to be addressed for cities like Cambridge to thrive as tech hubs.

Education is crucial in modern society, so it should be subsidized for all.
Investing in public services and infrastructure can help revive neglected communities.
Revitalization efforts for small towns may be challenging but are necessary to combat economic disparities.

The tax reform bill in Brazil consolidates multiple indirect taxes into two main taxes with a high estimated rate.
The reform eliminates the states' fiscal autonomy and introduces a Regional Development Fund funded by taxpayer resources.
The approved reform intensifies resource transfer from richer to poorer states, solidifying a system that benefits certain regions.

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