New Geography in the News

A good friend of mine, a Democratic mayor here in California, describes the Obama administration as "Moveon.org run by the Chicago machine." This combination may have been good enough to beat John McCain in 2008, but it is proving a damned poor way to run a country or build a strong, effective political majority. And while the president's charismatic talent -- and the lack of such among his opposition -- may keep him in office, it will be largely as a kind of permanent lame duck unable to make any of the transformative changes he promised as a candidate.

Joel on Forbes

Among the media, academia and within planning circles, there's a generally standing answer to the question of what cities are the best, the most progressive and best role models for small and midsize cities. The standard list includes Portland, Seattle, Austin, Minneapolis and Denver. In particular, Portland is held up as a paradigm, with its urban growth boundary, extensive transit system, excellent cycling culture and a pro-density policy. These cities are frequently contrasted with those of the Rust Belt and South, which are found wanting, often even by locals, as "cool" urban places.

Aaron on Dallas News

"Meanwhile, Joel Kotkin of New Geography and Forbes continues to pour empirical water on Florida's creative class thesis in Numbers Don't Support Migration Exodus to "Cool" Cities"

Joel on Law Professor Blog

"With the ring road open around the north part of the city, highway traffic and truckers can now avoid the congestion and lights of 16th Avenue and bypass Calgary. According to transportation expert Wendell Cox the ring road is a step in the right direction."

Wendell on Education for the Driving Masses

Newgeography.com’s Aaron Renn discusses the effects of reducing carbon emissions on regional economies. Renn concludes the article this way: “In short, action on carbon reduction may well be a good policy goal. But we shouldn’t embrace any means to that end uncritically if it creates huge distortions in regional economic advantage or further damages America’s industrial competitiveness.”

Aaron on EMSI

"The key rule of Chicago politics is delivering the spoils to supporters, and Obama’s stimulus program essentially fills this prescription. The stimulus’s biggest winners are such core backers as public employees, universities and rent-seeking businesses who leverage their access to government largesse, mostly by investing in nominally “green” industries. Roughly half the jobs saved form the ranks of teachers, a highly organized core constituency for the president and a mainstay of the political machine that supports the Democratic Party."

Joel on Reuters

Joel on Instapundit

"Unemployment today may not be as extreme as in the 1930s, but for whole segments of the population--notably young workers under 25--it is on the rise. Already young workers with college educations suffer a 7.7% jobless rate, while employment is nearly twice that among young workers overall. Hardest hit, in fact, are young people without college educations, whose real earnings already have dropped by almost 30% over the past 30 years, according to one study. "

Joel on Docudharma

"Joel Kotkin, a distinguished presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University in California and a senior consultant with the Grand Forks-based Praxis Strategy Group, says larger cities like Bismarck, Sioux Falls, Fargo and Grand Forks and smaller communities within a 50-mile radius look to be well positioned for the future. But he adds that the farther away you get from air service and key infrastructure, the more challenging the situation becomes for rural communities."

Joel on Prairie Business

"The article features this quote from Joel Kotkin, a presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University in California. 'Twenty years ago, you could go to Texas, where they had very low taxes, and you would see the difference between there and California,' Kotkin told the Times."

Joel on The Grand Forks Herald

"Today’s public benefits fail that test. As urban scholar Joel Kotkin of Chapman University puts it: 'Twenty years ago, you could go to Texas, where they had very low taxes, and you would see the difference between there and California. Today, you go to Texas, the roads are no worse, the public schools are not great but are better than or equal to ours, and their universities are good. The bargain between California’s government and the middle class is constantly being renegotiated to the disadvantage of the middle class.'"

Joel on the Napa Valley Register

"For the past decade a large coterie of pundits, prognosticators and their media camp followers have insisted that growth in America would be concentrated in places hip and cool, largely the bluish regions of the country."

Joel in Forbes

"Forbes magazine columnist Joel Kotkin this week summarized some of the latest research on U.S. migration patterns. Several studies show that Americans continue to move out of high-tax, high-regulation states such as New York, California and Massachusetts and to lower-tax, lower-regulation states such as Texas and North Carolina."

Joel on Union Leader

"Net migration, both before and after the Great Recession, according to analysis by the Praxis Strategy Group, has continued to be strongest to the predominately red states of the South and Intermountain West. "

Joel on Reason

"Call it the 'new localism.' Scholar Joel Kotkin does, and writes quite eloquently about how the economic and societal changes can benefit our nation by strengthening communities. "

Joel on WalletPop