We examine the long transition from water to steam power in US manufacturing, focusing on early users of mechanical power: lumber and flour mills. Digitizing Census of Manufactures manuscripts for 1850 to 1880, we show that as steam costs declined, manufacturing activity grew faster in counties...

Coastal cities around the world are locales of high vulnerability. The issues are graver in the developing world where the challenges posed by the urbanisation and climate change multiply the existing risks. Here, we examine the case of Kochi, an Indian city located at the centre of a rapidly...