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.
Los Angeles traffic

Los Angeles Traffic: Likely To Worsen with Higher Densities

by Wendell Cox The intensity of traffic on Los Angeles freeways is astounding; noticeably worse than most other places in the country. With increasing urban density it is likely to worsen.

Transportation Game Changers

by Peter Gordon The L.A. Times notes that LA Metro ridership is still falling -- even though billions have been (mis)spent on extra capacity over the last 30+ years. By my count that's the second time this year that the Times has broached this tender topic.
Capitol Dome at dusk

Decentralize Government to Resolve Country’s Divisions

by Joel Kotkin America is increasingly a nation haunted by fears of looming dictatorship. Whether under President Barack Obama’s “pen and phone” rule, or...Read more

Joel Kotkin Makes a Plea for ‘Localism’

By Laura Bliss — Joel Kotkin, the urban contrarian, talks about why the suburbs offer our best hope for stitching America back together....

Urban Containment, Endangered Working Families and Beleaguered Minorities

By Wendell Cox — Urban containment efforts, in the form of excessive land use regulation to stop development on the urban periphery a key to shortage of affordable housing.

Urban Future: The Revolt Against Central Planning

By Roger Weber — In Milton Keynes, perhaps the most radical of Britain’s post-Second World War “New Towns,” the battle over Brexit and the culture war that it represents is raging hard. There, the consequences of EU immigration policy, of planning instituted by national authority, and of the grassroots yearning to preserve local character have clashed...

How Zoning Rules are Helping Houston Overtake Chicago as America’s 3rd-Largest City

By Mark Adams — As Chicago’s population shrinks, Houston is set to overtake the Windy City as...

Mass Transit Expansion Goes Off The Rails In Many U.S. Cities

By Joel Kotkin — Journalists in older cities like New York, Boston or San Francisco may see the role of rail transit as critical to a functioning modern city. Outside of a handful of cities, rail transit...

What Price Urban Density?

By Fanis Grammenos — We regularly hear the argument that living in a compact city is more affordable than living in one that is more spread out. But what does the data actually show about the cost of housing in compact cities, and the cost of transport in these dense places?

How Commuters Get Railroaded by Cities

By Joel Kotkin — With more than $10 billion already invested, and much more on the way, some now believe that Los Angeles and Southern California are on the way to becoming...