Articles - Joel Kotkin

It Wasn’t Rural ‘Hicks’ Who Elected Trump: The Suburbs Were — And Will Remai …

November 29, 2016/in Demographics, Politics

Much of the NYC and DC press corps has concluded that Donald Trump’s surprising journey to the Oval Office was powered by country bumpkins expressing their inner racist misogyny. However, the real foundations for his victory lie not in the countryside and small towns, but in key suburban counties…

Can Working Class, Elite Form Alliance?

November 8, 2016/in Politics

Appearing in: Orange County Register Can the party of oligarchy also be the party of the people? Besides fending off the never-ending taint of corruption, which could weaken the extent […]

The Cities Where Your Salary Will Stretch The Furthest 2016

November 4, 2016/in The Economy, Urban Affairs

When Americans consider a move to another part of the country, they sometimes are forced to make a tough choice: should they go to a city with the best job opportunities, or a less economically vital area that offers a better standard of living, particularly more affordable…

Erasing Anglo Cultural Heritage Risks What Makes our Republic Diverse

October 28, 2016/in Demographics

Appearing in: Orange County Register It’s increasingly unfashionable to celebrate those who made this republic and established its core values. On college campuses, the media and, increasingly, in corporate circles, […]

Can California Transition to Next Tech Wave?

October 25, 2016/in California, The Economy

The consumer technology boom, largely responsible for a resurgence in California’s economy after the tech wreck of 2001, seems to be coming to an end. The signs are widespread…

Trump Will Go Away, but the Anger He’s Stirred Up Is Just Getting Started

October 24, 2016/in Politics

Appearing in: The Daily Beast For progressives, the gloating is about to begin. The Washington Monthly proclaims that we are on the cusp of a “second progressive era,” where the technocratic […]

Today’s Orange County: Not Right Wing—and Kinda Hip

October 18, 2016/in California, Politics, Urban Affairs

Appearing in: The Daily Beast What comes to mind when you think about Orange County? Probably, images of lascivious housewives and blonde surfers. And certainly, at least if you know […]

Two Cheers for NIMBYism

October 17, 2016/in Politics, Urban Affairs

Appearing in: Orange County Register Politicians, housing advocates, planners and developers often blame the NIMBY — “not in my backyard” — lobby for the state’s housing crisis. And it’s true […]

How to Make Post-Suburbanism Work

October 10, 2016/in Urban Affairs

Appearing in: Orange County Register Are you ready to become a “real” city yet, Southern California? Being “truly livable,” our betters suggest, means being “infatuated” with spending more billions of […]