There exists an economic principle, the theory of the "inferior good," that maintains certain goods and services will only increase in demand when other goods and services deemed to be of a higher quality increase in relative cost. As far as PhD-devised suppositions go, this seems pretty self-evident: Amidst our current crisis, for example, shares of Spam-manufacturer Hormel Foods continue to swell even as the average stock plummets. Public transportation ridership is hitting record levels, and private-label merchandise is gaining quickly on its branded counterparts.
A lot of people want to live in New York, but they settle for other places. In the context of geography, then, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore could be considered inferior goods. All of which is fine for some artist-types, who, until even those parts got too expensive, had been living in the inferior parts of NYC, anyway.
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