LOUISVILLE, Ky.鈥擜uthor-columnist Joel Kotkin will bring his futuristic message to the University of Louisville during a free, public talk April 8.
Kotkin鈥檚 lecture on 鈥淭he Future of American Cities鈥 will begin at 10 a.m. in Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library. The social demographer and urban historian is expected to include Kentucky and Louisville information in his look toward 2050, when the U.S. population grows to 400 million.
In his newest book, 鈥淭he Next Hundred Million: America in 2050,鈥 Kotkin explains how that growth will make the United States the most affluent, culturally rich and successful nation. He also argues that it is the evolution of smaller units of American life – families, towns, neighborhoods and industries 鈥 that will determine the U.S. future.
He also is the author of 鈥淭he City: A Global History,鈥 鈥淭he New Geography: How the Digital Revolution is Reshaping the American Landscape鈥 and 鈥淭ribes: How Race, Religion and Identity Determine Success in the New Global Economy.鈥
Kotkin is a distinguished presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University in Orange, Calif. He also is senior fellow with the Center for an Urban Future, New York City; adjunct fellow with the Legatum Institute think tank, London; and senior consultant with Praxis Strategy Group, Fargo, N.D.
He writes the weekly 鈥淣ew Geographer鈥 column for Forbes.com and wrote the monthly 鈥淕rassroots Business鈥 column in The New York Times Sunday business section for several years. He served as West Coast editor for Inc. magazine for five years and continues to contribute to that publication and The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Newsweek, The American and Politico.com. He has worked on television documentaries and formerly was business trends analyst for KTTV/Fox television in Los Angeles.