Joel Kotkin Talks About Communities Hit Hardest by Effects of COVID-19

Host: The Hill

On: Rising, with Saagar Enjeti and Krystal Ball

Author Joel Kotkin on Wednesday said that urban communities and young people are being hit hardest by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and will have a tougher time recovering.

Kotkin, a presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University, told Hill.TV that small businesses in inner-city communities face a “really rough turn” and predicted that many will never reopen after the coronavirus shutdown.

“What you’re really seeing and, I think it’s really tragic, is that the small businesses that were deemed nonessential are — many of them are never gonna reopen,” he said.

Kotkin said he also expects young people to struggle as they are generally paid less and more likely to lose their jobs.

“The young people are really getting screwed in this situation because they got through the terrible recession of 2008. They were just coming back, and they get hit again,” he said.