
The Future of Cities
Whatever the future holds for humanity, it is likely to take place in an urban context. Yet, there are many, and sometimes divergent, urban futures. This book is being published as a series, with permission of the American Enterprise Institute. Please return weekly to read each chapter as it is published.

Pandemics and Pandemonium
by Joel Kotkin — The rage ignited by the death of George Floyd is symptomatic of a profound sense of alienation among millions of poor, working class urbanites. The already diminished prospects facing many workers have only been worsened by the unforeseen onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic and the policies devised to combat it.

One Nation, Under Lockdown, Divided by Pandemic
by Joel Kotkin — The last thing this divided Republic needs is more polarization, but America is now further divided by pandemic, in large part by the different experiences of various localities and in how economies function from region to region.

Americans Are Not As Divided About the Pandemic As It May Seem
by Samuel J. Abrams — Data from the Pew Research Center collected during the epidemic reveals that Americans are indeed polarized around Trump and his behavior but are not deeply divided when it comes to real, concrete safety measures to mitigate the virus and protect Americans.

Subways Seeded the NYC Epidemic: MIT Economist
by Wendell Cox — According to an MIT economist, continued high ridership on MTA subways and the rapid surge in infections during the first two weeks of March at best supports the hypothesis that the subways played a role.

The Pandemic and the Strengths of Our Networked Government
by Aaron M. Renn — America's system of federalism provides plenty of opportunity for fighting among various levels of government. But as the coronavirus response is showing, this system also has underappreciated strengths that we should take care not to overlook.

Who Will Prosper After the Plague?
by Joel Kotkin — Who will prosper after the plague? By disrupting smaller grassroots businesses while expanding the power of technologies used in enforcement, coronavirus could further empower both tech oligarchs and the “expert” class.

Oligarchy and Pestilence
by Joel Kotkin — It’s January 21, 2021 and President Biden’s first full day in the White House. Surrounded by cheering key Democratic Party constituencies and financial backers, the new president proclaims a “climate emergency” – placing essentially the entire economy under Washington’s control.

The Coronavirus is Changing the Future of Home, Work, and Life
The COVID-19 pandemic will be shaping how we live, work and learn about the world long after the last lockdown ends and toilet paper hoarding is done, accelerating shifts that were already underway including the dispersion of population out of the nation’s densest urban areas and the long-standing trend away from mass transit and office concentration towards flatter and often home-based employment.

COVID-19: A Call to Connect
by Charlie Stephens — With COVID-19 we are going through something practically no living soul has ever experienced. It may be forging new realities, and could place us at the edge of a big change —politically, economically, culturally, and spiritually. What this will look like nobody really knows...

Stop Bagby Closure, Oil Import Tariffs, MaX Lanes, Covid-19 vs Density vs Heat
Want to stop closure of the Bagby and Brazos entrance/exit to/from the 59 Spur? There's now a opposition website to the closure where you can sign the petition.