HQ2 Hunger Games: meet your tributes

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Amazon has shortlisted 20 US cities to host what The Atlantic is calling HQ2. That same publication’s sister publication CityLab has in turn published an “exhaustive” list of the contenders’ strengths and weaknesses in vying for the right to host Amazon’s second global headquarters. With the economic incentives seemingly increasing – 50,000 jobs $5bn investment from the e-commerce giant – the finalists are weighing up their own financial incentives to land the contract. Newark’s pledge of $7bn remains the biggest but Montgomery County has bolstered its offer to $5bn. And if you want to read Amazon’s original request for proposals, The Loadstar has got its hands on one. Possibly the most interesting bit is this: “A stable and business-friendly environment and tax structure will be high-priority considerations for the Project. Incentives offered by the state/province and local communities to offset initial capital outlay and ongoing operational costs will be significant factors in the decision-making process.”