offshore oil rig, California

California's Climate Extremism

by Joel Kotkin — Environmental extremism increasingly dominates California. The state is making a concerted attack on energy companies in the courts; a bill is pending in the legislature to fine waiters $1,000—or jail them—if they offer people plastic straws
Charlotte, NC area

What is Middle-Income Housing Affordability?

by Wendell Cox — Few local or metropolitan issues receive more attention than housing affordability. This article provides a perspective on housing affordability, which is the relationship between housing costs and income.
Donwtown area of MilwaukeeNEWaukee

Hooked On a Feeling: Unique Experiences Help Fill Wisconsin's Talent Pipeline

by Angela Damiani — By all measures economists use to assess the quality of life a place offers—job availability, cost of living, commute times, recreation, etc.—Wisconsin stacks up pretty well.
Urban Center, downtown Toronto

Housing Affordability From Vancouver to Sydney to Toronto: Time to Do What Works

by Wendell Cox — A healthy market has a balance between supply and demand. In many cities, the demand for houses far outstrips the supply. Yet, cities have studiously avoided the obvious supply side policy that could restore housing affordability.
Aerial photo of California suburbs

Poverty is Worse Than Sprawl: California's Housing Affordability Crisis

by Wendell Cox – Rent control supporters in California recently announced that they have enough signatures to qualify a state proposition to remove limitations on municipalities to control rents. Their purpose is to improve housing affordability in the nation’s most unaffordable state.
Polk County Courthouse at night

The Midwest is Booming - Just Not Where You Think

by Joel Kotkin — The Midwest is booming, but not where you might think. Kansas City, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Columbus, Grand Rapids, and Des Moines are the fastest-growing cities in the Midwest—lapping bigger hubs like Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and even Chicago that are still suffering from stagnant economies and slow or even negative population growth.
suburban housing growth

What the Census Numbers Tell Us

by Joel Kotkin and Wendell Cox — The most recent Census population estimates revealed something that the mainstream media would prefer to ignore—the slowing population growth of big cities, including New York.

Landless Americans Are the New Serf Class

by Joel Kotkin and Wendell Cox — For the better part of the past century, the American dream was defined, in large part, by that “universal aspiration” to own a home. As housing prices continue to outstrip household income, that’s changing as more and more younger Americans are ending up landless, and not by choice.
Repairs on Mulholland Drive

Trump's Infrastructure Plan is a Rare, and Potentially Bipartisan, Feel Good Moment

President Trump's proposed trillion dollar plus infrastructure program represents a rare, and potentially united feel good moment. Yet before we jump into a massive re-do of our transportation, water and electrical systems, it's critical to make sure we get some decent bang for the federal buck.

The Screwed Millennial Generation Gets Smart

by Joel Kotkin — It’s been seven years since I wrote about “the screwed generation.” The story told has since become familiar: Millennials, then largely in their twenties, faced a future of limited economic opportunity