What will be the Future of Cities?

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.
Struggling neighborhood in Baltimore

Woke Politics a Disaster for Minorities

by Joel Kotkin — Will the woke policies of a Biden administration translate to better lives for minorities? History suggests they could be a disaster.
Case for moving to Houston

Bloomberg’s Case for Moving to Houston, URI 2020 Year in Review Video, and More

by Tory Gattis — Bloomberg Businessweek's makes "The Case for Moving to Houston" in a story on high-tech workers leaving the big expensive coastal cities.
Chicago positioning itself to become next middle class hub

Chicago & Positioning: Becoming the Next Middle Class Hub

In this episode of the Feudal Future podcast, hosts Joel Kotkin and Marshall Toplansky talk with Pete Saunders about how Chicago can better position itself to become the next middle class hub.
Ownership and Opportunity: New Report from Urban Reform Institute

Ownership and Opportunity: A New Report from Urban Reform Institute

Ownership and Opportunity, a new report from Urban Reform Institute, explores the connection between homeownership and opportunity for upward mobility.
Aerial view of Houston, Texas

Planning Starts for Houston’s Managed Lanes Network, Plus COVID Impact on Metro Ridership

by Tory Gattis — Dallas has experienced a ridership drop of 57%, nearly identical to Houston. We probably won't see a rebound in transit ridership until there is widespread vaccination and rush-hour traffic congestion returns to pre-covid levels.
urban homelessness

The Limits of Rhetoric

Charles Blain and Joel Kotkin — If rhetoric were magic, metro areas like New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago would be ideal for aspirational minority residents.
John Russo on Feudal Future podcast

Politics, Polarization & The Plight Of The Middle & Working Classes With John Russo

In this episode of the Feudal Future podcast, hosts Joel Kotkin and Marshall Toplansky interview John Russo. John has spent most of his academic career at Youngstown State University in Ohio, and he has spent much time cataloguing the plight of the middle class and working class in the US.
Cover of Urban Reform Institute's Report on Upward Mobility

Upward Mobility Report

In a new report, Upward Mobility — authored by Charles Blain, Wendell Cox and Joel Kotkin — examine how the choice of where to live affects upward mobility for middle and working-class citizens, especially historically disadvantage minorities.
Kyle Harper talks about disease and the fall of Rome — and parallels with COVID-19

Feudal Future Podcast — Kyle Harper

In this episode of the Feudal Future podcast, Kyle Harper join hosts Joel and Marshall to talk about infectious disease as part of the destruction of Rome.
Houston City Park

HTX Pandemic Response Failure, Food Deserts Aren’t Real, NYC ‘s Anemic Recovery

by Tory Gattis — Houston's All-American Pandemic Response: Ignore Until It’s Too Late. It saw what happened in NYC but its Covid-19 response was a failure anyway.