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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. But will the jobs of the future bring back the Middle Class that made the US a superpower in the half-century after World War II? What industries are on the upswing? What kind of training will they require? What role should — or should not — be played by the federal government?

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. Instead of adding $2 billion in red ink, Governor Brown's Finance Department says the current shortfall will add about half that much. The Governor has proposed that voters approve tax increased in next November's elections. He says if they don't, cuts will be harsher than ever.

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. That's the vision we're building for now, but is it really the wave of the future?

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. But Mayor Villaraigosa said recently that cuts and layoffs will reduce city services, specifically including "potholes and the trimming of trees."

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. But one resident of the San Fernando Valley says he's " at best a mediocre mayor " presiding over a city "fading rapidly toward irrelevancy."  The Los Angeles Times has endorsed the Mayor's re-election , but only after remarking that Villaraigosa is "presiding over a city that, even before the recession hit, lacked the buoyant civic spirit that so many voters expected the new mayor to spark."

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." We hear more from economists in Denver and Los Angeles.

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. If Obama won both, it could be the end of the Clinton campaign, but now it appears both states are closer than anybody expected. Indiana and North Carolina are complicated in different ways. Do they want to hear about "change" or "bread and butter" economics? Does a "gas tax holiday" sound like a good deal or cynical promise?

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.” The City Council has given developers a break on parking and allowed them to override existing zoning if they include affordable housing.

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. Last year, the idea spread to thirteen other cities, including New York, London and Rio. Friday of this week has been designated as Parking Day LA . Image: Flickr via parkingdayla.org

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. Symptoms of urban decay include unemployment, lack of affordable housing, racism and police abuse. What can be learned from past outbreaks? What does it take to trigger a riot and what's the state of American cities today?

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 Sacramento areas growing four times faster than the rest of the state poses many new challenges for California's future, according to a just-released study by the Brookings Institution. One major question is whether the new residents will have the political will to make better decisions than those that have shaped the places they're leaving behind.

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 United Way's Elise Buik, former Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, and economist and political analyst Joel Kotkin.

Mar 22, 2007

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The week that wouldn't quit
Left, Right & Center

The week that wouldn't quit Will next week get even weirder? (Special one-hour episode)

57 MIN, 4 SEC May 19, 2017

The Trump agenda: where's the beef?
To the Point

The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.

51 MIN, 18 SEC Jun 07, 2017

The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan?
To the Point

The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years.  Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement?  Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?

51 MIN, 16 SEC May 30, 2017

President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord
Left, Right & Center

President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.

28 MIN, 31 SEC Jun 02, 2017

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