Scaling and network evolution of technology transfer in US cities

Cities function as complex systems, and the superlinear scaling laws of patents and incomes are well documented. Technology transfer is a bridge between knowledge and economic progress. Despite its importance, the urban scaling laws of technology transfer remain poorly understood, with limited exploration of their historical network evolution. Here we construct 166-year technology transfer networks for US cities. We find that technology transfers exhibit superlinear scaling with the scaling exponents ranked as intracity transfer > intercity transfer-in > intercity transfer-out. The evolution of the technology transfer network includes a nationwide space-filling process, a hierarchical structure among cities and functional polycentricity within cities. These dynamics have evolved in tandem, each tightly linked to the growth of scaling exponents. Our findings complement insights into the relationship between scaling laws and network evolution, validate the mechanisms of local and nonlocal knowledge interactions and provide new support for the evolutionary theory of complex urban systems. Li and co-authors investigate the urban scaling laws of technology transfer in US cities, charting historical dynamics of the innovation landscape since 1858 and the emergence of new technologies and networks within and between cities.