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Reinventing the Heartland: How One City’s Inclusive Approach to Innovation and Growth Can Revive the American Dream Hardcover – March 4, 2025

by Nicholas Lalla (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars 4 ratings
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A blueprint for the bottom-up revival that is so sorely needed in cities across America.

To thrive in this day and age, cities must create innovation economies of their own. Tech jobs, venture capital, and R&D are concentrated in a handful of big coastal cities, while the broad middle of the country is left out—and that’s a problem.

Nicholas Lalla founded Tulsa Innovation Labs in January 2020 to help Tulsa, Oklahoma transition from its outdated oil and gas legacy to tech. Lalla's organization would go on to build the first tech-led economic development strategy in northeast Oklahoma’s history, raise over $200 million, and create thousands of tech jobs. This success catalyzed a massive, city-wide endeavor—the first time in American history a city has dedicated itself in such a concerted way to becoming a player in the innovation economy.

Drawing upon Lalla's experience, Reinventing the Heartland lays out a bold and pragmatic plan for urban reinvention, showing innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders how to:

  • Help establish your city's tech-identity based on existing assets to inspire local growth.
  • Build an environment of innovation and healthy inclusivity.
  • Rapidly up-skill talent in the era of AI.
  • Fuel a future of positive change, growth, and urban-rural partnership.

Each chapter covers a core plank of the action plan, with powerful examples of the kinds of changes American cities need. In Reinventing the Heartland, Lalla provides the path forward for any city ready to embrace the future.

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  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    HarperCollins Leadership
  4. Publication date
    March 4, 2025
  5. Dimensions
    6.3 x 1.45 x 9.35 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1400249007
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1400249008
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The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

From the brand

From the Publisher

Every city can become a tech hub.
A blueprint for reviving cities throughout America's heartland.

“ The Playbook for building a more prosperous & inclusive innovation economy.” - Richard Florida

An information-packed, clear-eyed, & supremely readable how-to. -Mary Pattillo

Essential for anyone interested in inclusive growth in times of rising inequality. -Darren Walker

A must-read for anyone who cares about the future of their community. -Tom Murphy

An invaluable proof of concept for what it takes to drive strong regional growth. -Maria Flynn

Powerful in the way it charts a path forward for other Heartland cities. -Henry Cisneros

A bold and pragmatic plan for any city ready to embrace the future

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Reinventing the Heartland arrives at the exact moment when the hierarchy of US cities and metros is being reshuffled by macro forces and mega investments. Lalla's action plan is rooted in new economic realities which, if embraced and amplified, have the potential to transform lives and places.' -- BRUCE KATZ, Co-Author of The New Localism

'A fascinating story of the bottom-up revival happening in cities across America. Steeped in his own experience in Tulsa's incredible reinvention, Lalla provides THE PLAYBOOK for building a more prosperous and inclusive innovation economy.' -- RICHARD FLORIDA, New York Times bestselling author of The Rise of the Creative Class

'A gripping read about how to make progress in America. Lalla challenges American cities to work across sectors and harness tech to create good jobs to ensure opportunity extends far and wide. Reinventing the Heartland is essential for anyone interested in inclusive growth in times of rising inequality.' -- DARREN WALKER, President of the Ford Foundation

'An inspirational blueprint for the future of the American Heartland. Lalla's vision for transforming Tulsa into a tech hub offers a fresh, actionable strategy for cities looking to escape the cycle of economic decline. By focusing on inclusive growth and leveraging local strengths, this book shows how communities can create opportunities that benefit everyone.' -- MATT SIGELMAN, President of The Burning Glass Institute

'Economic development leaders need to read this book! A post-COVID playbook for inclusive growth, Reinventing the Heartland rings true even for big cities like Chicago which are also working to enhance their tech economies.' -- SAMIR MAYEKAR, Former deputy mayor of Chicago

'Get out your highlighter and notepad because Reinventing the Heartland offers an information-packed, clear-eyed, and supremely readable how-to on investing in cities. Lalla's insights on growing a tech-fueled economy make this book essential for planners, civic leaders, and social scientists across the country.' -- MARY PATTILLO, Professor of Sociology at Northwestern and author of Black on the Block

'Lalla offers an invaluable proof of concept for what it takes to drive strong regional growth. For all those helping to create the quality jobs of the future, Reinventing the Heartland is for you!' -- MARIA FLYNN, President and CEO of Jobs for the Future

'Nicholas Lalla has written a powerful book--powerful in the way it chronicles Tulsa's journey to modernize its economic base and even more powerful in the way it charts a path forward for other Heartland cities. Reinventing the Heartland represents a critical map to inclusive prosperity across the region where the nation's future will be decided.' -- HENRY CISNEROS, Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

'Technology, demographics, climate change, and globalization are re-ordering our personal lives, but also the competitiveness of cities. Civic leaders need to bring a curiosity, a nimbleness, and an appetite for risk--not simply protect the status quo--if their community is going to thrive. Reinventing the Heartland brilliantly captures these challenges...it is a must read for anyone that cares about the future of their community.' -- TOM MURPHY, Former mayor of Pittsburgh

About the Author

Nicholas Lalla is an urbanist and social entrepreneur, working at the intersection of economic development and emerging technology. He partners with cities to build strategies and initiatives that catalyze inclusive growth. Lalla founded Tulsa Innovation Labs, an organization deploying over $200 million to build northeast Oklahoma’s innovation economy. He previously led Cyber NYC for the New York City Economic Development Corporation, a cybersecurity initiative The New York Times called "among the nation’s most ambitious . . . " Earlier in his career, at the Urban Land Institute, he launched a national resilience program for cities combatting the effects of climate change. Lalla has written for Newsweek, Fast Company, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and Next City, among other outlets. He can be found online at nicholaslalla.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins Leadership (March 4, 2025)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1400249007
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1400249008
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.3 x 1.45 x 9.35 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 out of 5 stars 4 ratings

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Nicholas Lalla

Nicholas Lalla

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Nicholas Lalla is an urbanist and social entrepreneur, working at the intersection of economic development and emerging technology. He partners with cities to build strategies and initiatives that catalyze inclusive growth.

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5 out of 5 stars
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Unique story with widely-applicable lessons
5 out of 5 stars
Unique story with widely-applicable lessons
What do you get when you cross the analytical rigor of the Brookings Institute with the cultural savvy of The Atlantic? This book, and it finds a natural home on the bookshelf of anyone invested in how American communities survive and thrive in a global, tech-forward economy. The work explores pressing questions like how a city can find its tech-niche, and how to tap into local assets for inclusive growth. Lalla draws insights from his own experience leading a path-breaking economic development strategy in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but the lessons are widely applicable. As an economic development practitioner, the communities I work with are thinking about these kinds of questions daily, so I expect this book will serve as a type of manual that I can dog-ear, annotate, and consult for ideas on a regular basis.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Adam
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unique story with widely-applicable lessons
    Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    What do you get when you cross the analytical rigor of the Brookings Institute with the cultural savvy of The Atlantic? This book, and it finds a natural home on the bookshelf of anyone invested in how American communities survive and thrive in a global, tech-forward economy. The work explores pressing questions like how a city can find its tech-niche, and how to tap into local assets for inclusive growth. Lalla draws insights from his own experience leading a path-breaking economic development strategy in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but the lessons are widely applicable. As an economic development practitioner, the communities I work with are thinking about these kinds of questions daily, so I expect this book will serve as a type of manual that I can dog-ear, annotate, and consult for ideas on a regular basis.
    Customer image
    Adam
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Unique story with widely-applicable lessons

    Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2025
    What do you get when you cross the analytical rigor of the Brookings Institute with the cultural savvy of The Atlantic? This book, and it finds a natural home on the bookshelf of anyone invested in how American communities survive and thrive in a global, tech-forward economy. The work explores pressing questions like how a city can find its tech-niche, and how to tap into local assets for inclusive growth. Lalla draws insights from his own experience leading a path-breaking economic development strategy in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but the lessons are widely applicable. As an economic development practitioner, the communities I work with are thinking about these kinds of questions daily, so I expect this book will serve as a type of manual that I can dog-ear, annotate, and consult for ideas on a regular basis.
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  • Brian
    5.0 out of 5 stars Timely blueprint right as America re-industrializes the Heartland
    Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2025
    As America focuses on re-industrialization, there are dozens of cities across all of the American heartland with tremendous tailwinds of growth. Nicholas Lalla's book draws on his experience leading the preeminent economic development team in Tulsa, Oklahoma, bringing the reader on the path they took to reinvent the city from its oil-rich past into a thriving hub of tech-led, inclusive growth. While a deep dive case study on Tulsa, this book offers generalizable insights for a range of American cities, and by the end of the book I had a strong conceptual model for the steps cities can take to raise hundreds of millions of dollars of federal and local grants, build a regional coalition of stakeholders, and set the groundwork for a robust tech ecosystem (as well as a better sense for the city of Tulsa). Informative and enjoyable read!
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  • David W.
    5.0 out of 5 stars I really liked this booked on the future of American innovation
    Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2025
    I was pleasantly impressed by how well-rounded and thoughtful Nicholas Lalla's book is about the American Heartland. I hadn’t fully realized the challenges mid-sized cities face in attracting talent, building a thriving ecosystem, and driving inclusive growth. The biggest takeaway for me was that success in the Heartland isn’t just about waiting for local policymakers or West Coast tech giants to step in, but about communities coming together, taking initiative, and making their voices heard. This book makes it clear that real change happens when people collaborate and advocate boldly.

    If you're interested in the intersection of technology, economic policy, and social impact, Reinventing the Heartland is a must-read!
    Customer image
    David W.
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    I really liked this booked on the future of American innovation

    Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2025
    I was pleasantly impressed by how well-rounded and thoughtful Nicholas Lalla's book is about the American Heartland. I hadn’t fully realized the challenges mid-sized cities face in attracting talent, building a thriving ecosystem, and driving inclusive growth. The biggest takeaway for me was that success in the Heartland isn’t just about waiting for local policymakers or West Coast tech giants to step in, but about communities coming together, taking initiative, and making their voices heard. This book makes it clear that real change happens when people collaborate and advocate boldly.

    If you're interested in the intersection of technology, economic policy, and social impact, Reinventing the Heartland is a must-read!
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