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    "story_id": "mp-2026-08-01-001",
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    "headline": "The Cloud Was Already Inside the City",
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    "dek": "A new map of 4,283 U.S. data centers finds that nearly all sit in metropolitan or micropolitan areas, tied closely to inherited power infrastructure.",
    "summary": "A new map of 4,283 U.S. data centers finds that nearly all sit in metropolitan or micropolitan areas, tied closely to inherited power infrastructure.",
    "body_text": "New York University researchers mapped 4,283 data centers across the contiguous United States and report that 97.5% are in metropolitan or micropolitan areas; the remainder average only 8.5 miles from an urban edge. Five metro areas contain nearly a third of the facilities, and electricity capacity was the strongest predictor of location. The Nature Cities analysis describes siting patterns, not the environmental performance of every facility.",
    "why_it_matters": "A new map of 4,283 U.S. data centers finds that nearly all sit in metropolitan or micropolitan areas, tied closely to inherited power infrastructure.",
    "limitations": [
      "New York University researchers mapped 4,283 data centers across the contiguous United States and report that 97.5% are in metropolitan or micropolitan areas; the remainder average only 8.5 miles from an urban edge.",
      "The Nature Cities analysis describes siting patterns, not the environmental performance of every facility."
    ],
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    "modified_at": "2026-08-01T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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        "text": "A new map of 4,283 U.S. data centers finds that nearly all sit in metropolitan or micropolitan areas, tied closely to inherited power infrastructure.",
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        "qualification": "New York University researchers mapped 4,283 data centers across the contiguous United States and report that 97.5% are in metropolitan or micropolitan areas; the remainder average only 8.5 miles from an urban edge."
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    "tags": [
      "data centers",
      "urban geography",
      "electricity infrastructure",
      "siting"
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      "source_id": "source-2026-08-01-001",
      "title": "New York University via Newswise: Where America's data centers actually live",
      "publisher": "New York University via Newswise",
      "url": "https://www.newswise.com/articles/inside-the-urban-machine-where-america039-s-data-centers-actually-live",
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      "accessed_at": "2026-08-01T08:36:00.000-04:00",
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  "publisher": {
    "name": "The Machine Press",
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    "description": "A daily newspaper for the age of artificial intelligence."
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  "cite_this_report": {
    "title": "The Cloud Was Already Inside the City",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-08-01T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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