Joel Kotkin is an internationally recognized authority on global economic, political, and social trends. He is the author of six books, including, The City: A Global History (Modern Library, 2005), as well as the bestseller, The New Geography: How the Digital Revolution Is Reshaping the American Landscape (Random House, 2002). A leading expert on the evolution of cities, towns, and rural places, Mr. Kotkin has written major reports on the future of New York, St. Louis, Los Angeles, rural North Dakota, suburban Montreal, and the Inland Empire region of southern California. He writes for The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Inc. Magazine, and The American Enterprise among other publications. He lectures widely in Asia, Europe, and North America.

As a Senior Research Fellow at the New America Foundation, Mr. Kotkin writes on issues relating to the future of California as well as on national economic, social, and political developments. He is currently working on research projects relating to infrastructure development, the American heartland, the Houston region, and the future of suburbia.