Building the New America: Report on trends shaping the migration of people and jobs

Report: Building the New America

How do we build a new urban model for America — one that is better aligned with the aspirations of most Americans? This newly released report examines the housing trends that are driving today's migration of people and jobs.
Happy Labor Day, America (2016)

The Localist Revolution

by David Brooks — Localism is the belief that power should be wielded as much as possible at the neighborhood, city and state levels. Localism is thriving — as a philosophy and a way of doing things — because the national government is dysfunctional while many towns are reviving.
Seattle Ferry shown against downtown skyline

Cautionary Tales from the Cities of Seattle and Philadelphia

by Wendell Cox — For some time now urban core proponents have boasted about a "return to the cities" from the suburbs. While the urban core cities have done better in recent years than before, the claim has been significantly overblown. Suburbs have continued to capture the "lion's share" of growth...
American Heartland Report Cover

Perspectives on Defining the American Heartland

by Ross DeVol — When one hears “American Heartland”–specific images and cultural values come to mind. And yet, a widely shared vision of what geographic region truly comprises the American Heartland has so far proved elusive.
Downtown Provo, Utah

Growth in America is Tilting Toward Smaller Cities

by Joel Kotkin and Michael Shires — We are often told that America’s future lies in our big cities; yet the strongest job creation and population growth is now occurring in smaller cities.
Photo credit: Aarp65 via Wikimedia

The Horrors of Marxism Not So Clear to America’s Young

by Joel Kotkin — Today’s resurgence of Marxism reflects both historical ignorance, particularly among the young, and the marked failure of contemporary capitalism to offer a credible scenario for a better future.
Polk County Courthouse at night

The Midwest is Booming – Just Not Where You Think

by Joel Kotkin — The Midwest is booming, but not where you might think. Kansas City, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Columbus, Grand Rapids, and Des Moines are the fastest-growing cities in the Midwest—lapping bigger hubs like Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and even Chicago that are still suffering from stagnant economies and slow or even negative population growth.
Suburb of Des Moines

Suburbs Could End Up On The Cutting Edge of Urban Change

by Joel Kotkin — Overwhelmingly, suburbs are where most growth is happening. Since 2010 suburbs and exurbs have produced roughly 80 percent of all new jobs. Even tech growth is shifting...
suburban housing growth

What the Census Numbers Tell Us

by Joel Kotkin and Wendell Cox — The most recent Census population estimates revealed something that the mainstream media would prefer to ignore—the slowing population growth of big cities, including New York.
Lakeland, Florida

Moving Away From the Major Metropolitan Areas: the 2017 Estimates

by Wendell Cox — The new 2017 US Census Bureau metropolitan area population estimates have been published. They show a significant increase in domestic migration away from the largest cities toward metropolitan areas with from 500,000 to 1,000,000 population.
President Donald Trump at WEF

A Year Into Trump’s Peasant Rebellion

by Joel Kotkin — A year into office, Donald Trump remains something of an unlikely figure: a self-promoting and well-heeled demagogue who leads a bedraggled coalition of piratical capitalists, southerners, and people from the has-been or never were towns of Middle America.