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PROFILE

Joel Kotkin Guest
Joel Kotkin

Chapman University

Economist and political analyst; Urban Studies fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University and member of the Editorial Board of the Orange County Register, where he writes a weekly column; executive editor of NewGeography.com, a site about where we live and work, and contributor to Forbes; author of The City: A Global History, The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050, and The New Class Conflict;  former Irvine Fellow at the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan public-policy think-tank, and adjunct fellow with the Legatum Institute, based in London

FROM Joel Kotkin

Breaking Point: Housing, density and the future of LA
Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Breaking Point: Housing, density and the future of LA Angelenos will vote next week on Measure S, which restricts development in the city for two years. It’s stirred up a heated debate: Should LA build higher, denser developments near public transit, or stay as a network of neighborhoods with single family homes and small apartment buildings? Press Play hosts a special broadcast live from Hollywood’s Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, exploring how the housing crisis in LA has caused an identity crisis for Angelenos.

53 min, 21 sec Mar 02, 2017

Who Is Leaving Los Angeles Because of Housing Prices?
Which Way, L.A.?

Who Is Leaving Los Angeles Because of Housing Prices? Housing has become so expensive in the LA Area that beaches, warm winters and cultural diversity aren't enough anymore to keep a lot of people from moving away. We hear from some who have struggled with staying and talk with regional thinkers about the loss of both young people and economic diversity.

30 min, 9 sec Mar 10, 2015

Manufacturing: Heritage of the Past or Wave of the Future?
To the Point

Manufacturing: Heritage of the Past or Wave of the Future? After years of decline, all the talk about a "service economy" and predictions that it might never return, manufacturing is making a comeback in the United States. The Obama Administration is making the most of it, planning a forum tomorrow on what it calls " Insourcing of American Jobs " by companies returning from foreign shores.

36 min, 35 sec Jan 10, 2012

State Budget Trigger Cuts to Take Effect
Which Way, L.A.?

State Budget Trigger Cuts to Take Effect Governor Brown announced today that triggers in state spending will be needed. Tax revenues have not met the projections assumed by this year's budget, passed by the legislature and signed by Brown. But it's not as bad as last month's prediction by the Legislative Analyst. The deficit is now $13 billion.

26 min, 33 sec Dec 13, 2011

Is LA Still a Fast-Growing World City?
Which Way, L.A.?

Is LA Still a Fast-Growing World City? In the years after World War II, Los Angeles' population growth was spectacular. During 20 years as Mayor, Tom Bradley envisioned what he called a "World Class City" with skyscrapers, subways, new schools and parks to accommodate a population that would live increasingly in multi-family housing in much denser neighborhoods than it was famous for.

19 min, 47 sec Oct 31, 2011

When It Comes to Infrastructure, You Get What You Pay For
Which Way, L.A.?

When It Comes to Infrastructure, You Get What You Pay For LA City Council President Eric Garcetti announced today a "Garcetti 311" iPhone application. He wants to make it easy for his constituents to report dead animals, overgrown trees and potholes so his staff can relay the information to the appropriate agencies.

13 min, 9 sec Apr 15, 2010

Does Mayor Villaraigosa Deserve Re-election?
Which Way, L.A.?

Does Mayor Villaraigosa Deserve Re-election? LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appears headed for re-election, opposed by nine virtual unknowns , none of whom can raise enough money to mount an effective campaign.

18 min, 9 sec Feb 26, 2009

Colorado's Valentine to Lure Companies from California
Which Way, L.A.?

Colorado's Valentine to Lure Companies from California The Wall Street Journal's reporting that Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Utah are telling corporate executives, venture capitalists and manufacturers to relocate outside of California. Last Friday, Colorado got the jump on the rest with valentines to hundreds of local CEO's with the message: "Mile High State Seeks Sea-Level Executive."

19 min, 11 sec Feb 16, 2009

Tar Heels and Hoosiers Head to the Polls
To the Point

Tar Heels and Hoosiers Head to the Polls Over the weekend, Barack Obama won Guam's Democratic delegates by seven points, but it's been weeks since he posted a big victory. He once called Indiana primary the "tie breaker" with Hillary Clinton . His big lead in North Carolina made it a "fire-wall," like Ohio was for her.

35 min, 53 sec May 05, 2008

The “Manhattanizing” of Los Angeles?
Which Way, L.A.?

The “Manhattanizing” of Los Angeles? California is not the magnet it once was, but the Southern California Association of Governments insists that population growth will continue—with a total of 13 million people in LA County by 2050. In the city of LA, forget about single-family homes with backyards. Mayor Villaraigosa is promoting what he calls “elegant density.”

Apr 02, 2008

Transforming Parking Space into Open Space
Which Way, L.A.?

Transforming Parking Space into Open Space In San Francisco two years ago, a group called Rebar descended on a number of parking spaces. They fed money into the meters, rolled out sod, and installed trees and benches. They created pocket parks that lasted until the timers ran out--asserting the claim that dense urban centers need more open space.

Sep 18, 2007

The History and Possible Future of Urban Violence in America
To the Point

The History and Possible Future of Urban Violence in America Forty years ago, widespread violence broke out in Detroit and Newark, just as it had two years before in Rochester, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Civil unrest caused deaths, injuries and property damage in other cities during the next few years, but Los Angeles, which still showed scars from the Watts Riots of 1965, broke all the records in 1992.

36 min, 4 sec Jul 23, 2007

Is Inland California the Key to the Future?
Which Way, L.A.?

Is Inland California the Key to the Future? What used to be California's backwaters are outpacing LA and the San Francisco Bay Area.  The Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys and the Inland Empire are the fastest growing parts of the state.  Driven mostly by the cost of housing, the population is moving east, along with smog and congestion.  That the Riverside, Bakersfield, Fresno and…

11 min, 55 sec Mar 28, 2007

LA County's Declining Quality of Life
Which Way, L.A.?

LA County's Declining Quality of Life On a scale of 10, the State of California ranks 8.08.  Los Angeles County lags behind at 7.32.  That’s according to the United Way's first Quality of Life Index , measuring public safety, economic status, education and health.  We hear more about why the quality of life in LA County lags behind the rest of the state, in a conversation with the…

Mar 22, 2007

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The march toward a teachers strike sounds familiar
The Mixer

The march toward a teachers strike sounds familiar Higher salaries, larger class sizes, more counselors, librarians and nurses. Those are just some of the demands that members of United Teachers, Los Angeles - the union that represents teachers' at LAUSD - are asking for.

8 min, 51 sec Jan 11, 2019

Who are the political players in the LA teachers strike?
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Who are the political players in the LA teachers strike? Thousands of LA public school teachers are going to be back out on the picket lines for a second day. They walked off the job Monday after failing to reach a contract agreement with the LA Unified School District, despite months of negotiations.

7 min, 31 sec Jan 15, 2019

What are charter schools?
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What are charter schools? LAUSD teachers were picket lines for a second day Tuesday. And this morning the teachers union organized a march to the California Charter Schools Association office downtown, to draw attention to their criticisms of local charter schools. But what are charter schools anyway?

5 min, 6 sec Jan 16, 2019

Could agave become Santa Barbara’s next major crop?
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Could agave become Santa Barbara’s next major crop? In many ways, growing agave in Santa Barbara makes a lot of sense. Not only does it use very little water and thrive on generally inhospitable land, but it can act as a fuel break for wildfires.

4 min, 22 sec Jan 15, 2019

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