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On the first day of the new year, here’s a look back at the most popular articles published by New Geography in 2018. Happy New Year and thanks for reading.
10. Will Seattle Light Rail Extended to Snohomish County Create Intolerable Crowding on Peak Trains in King County? Starting off the list is this recent piece from John Niles and David Lange arguing that the capacity of the planned light rail expansion in the Seattle region is too low.
9. The Evolving Urban Form Paris This installment of Wendell Cox’s long-running series, The Evolving Urban Form, describes the development pattern of Paris using population data from the past two centuries.
8. Housing Affordability and the Standard of Living: The 14th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Wendell’s Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey is a critical comprehensive reference on worldwide housing affordability by urban area. Here’s the highlights of the report.
7. Moving Away from the Major Metropolitan Areas: the 2017 Estimates Here’s Wendell Cox’s summary of the latest U.S. Census population estimates for metropolitan areas.
6. Best Cities for Jobs Rankings Our annual Best Cities for Jobs index ranks all of America’s metropolitan areas according to short- and longer-term job growth performance. Follow the link to see the various topical rankings.
5. California Lithium Battery Maker Heads to Appalachia Wendell Cox explains what it means that a major battery manufacturer chose Pikeville, KY for a major manufacturing expansion.
4. A Generation Plans an Exodus from California Joel Kotkin and Wendell Cox team up to outline the outmigration from California and its underlying causes. This piece originally appeared in the Orange County Register.
3. The Value of All Things Crazily Rich and Asian. In this September article piqued by Kevin Kwan’s book “Crazy Rich Asians” and the subsequent movie, Joel Kotkin outlines the importance of Asians to American society and future economic prospects. This piece originally appeared in the Orange County Register.
2. World Urban Areas: 1,064 Largest Cities: 2018 Update. Wendell Cox’s update to his annual “World Urban Areas” demographic summary report was the second-most-read article last year.
1. The First Shots in the Climate Wars The most read article on the site in 2018 is Joel Kotkin’s Orange County Register column calling for environmental concerns to be addressed in a rational and equitable manner.