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"Joel Kotkin sees a trend in a 'New Localism'- people aren't moving around like they used to, and it's causing them to reengage with their communities."

Joel on Planetizen

"Joel Kotkin in 'Rethinking Public Policy' argues that ‘such approaches cannot provide the public realm with a robust and viable sense of its future, in part because it denies the past that binds our families, our communities, and the nation. In the end, the reanimation of public policy will require a reaffirmation of our shared religious, moral, and political heritage – not as the total truth, but as the foundation upon which we can rebuild the public sphere.’"  read more »

"JOEL KOTKIN: Our Euro President. “'Barack Obama’s seemingly inexplicable winning of the Nobel Peace Prize says less about him than about the current mentality of Europe’s leadership class. Lacking any strong, compelling voices of their own, the Europeans are now trying to hijack our president as their spokesman.'”

Joel on Instapundit

"President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize has been justified by some because it draws attention to the goal he endorses of ridding the world of nuclear weapons. I share that goal, but not because nuclear weapons are uniquely horrible – if you’re a victim, it makes little difference whether you’re killed or maimed by nuclear weapons or conventional weapons, which sometimes can create lingering illnesses and poison the landscape, too. I support the abolition of nuclear weapons because, if it were successful, it would lock in the advantages of the small number of great powers like the U.S.  read more »

"'Someone who grew up living in 2,500 square feet with a driveway leading up to the front door isn't going to downsize to 850 square feet until he's ready for assisted living," says Joel Kotkin, a scholar on urban development who wrote The City: A Global History. "The new urbanists convinced the idiot development community there was going to be this massive move that never happened.'"

Joel on The Orlando Sentinel

"Joel Kotkin is a opposite ends of the spectrum with Robert Florida, who believes that without the help of the "Creative Class" a city will fail to be a community of "coolness". You can't have a community of technology based professionals and expect them to live in an "uncool" city. After work, there has to be something that will draw them to live there. A community needs both a reputable safe haven for families, and professionals with the expertise in research and development and also the arts, culture and other forms of entertainment, e.g., bars.  read more »