Prescott believes it inevitable that Chinese will increasingly choose to live in the suburbs, and not in the center cities where they work.

FORBES: Prof. Edward C. Prescott On China

Then the Center established teams of researchers in 16 cities, from Buenos Aires and Valparaiso to Los Angeles and New York.

WSJ: Mari Carmen Ram��rez | Derivative Works No More | Cultural Conversation by Judith H. Dobrzynski

Waze, which is especially popular in dense cities, would place Facebook at the center of people's cars and could be used to cull more real-time data based on users' behavior.

WSJ: Facebook in Talks to Buy Driving App Waze

Certainly sustained economic growth, low density and more affordable housing all clearly continue to push the center of population gravity toward certain Sun Belt cities, primarily in the Southeast and Texas.

FORBES: America's Fastest- and Slowest-Growing Cities