ABSTRACT
A large Boston-based mutual-fund group, Colonial Management Associates, has moved nationwide customer service and customer accounting to a Denver suburb. Insurance companies are rapidly shifting their labor-intensive work, claims handling, customer correspondence, record keeping, to the outskirts of metropolitan areas. The modern big city is the creation of the nineteenth century's ability to move people. Office workers in the world's big cities do not have eight-hour days; they have twelve-hour days. Twenty-five years ago a number of large US companies, General Foods, IBM, General Electric, moved out of Manhattan and into suburbia, lock, stock, and barrel. At that time we did not know that we could move information. Big companies tomorrow are almost certain to keep their management people, at least their senior ones, where other senior management people are: in the city. A very big law firm is completing plans to have only one law library, in one suburban location.
