A trio of authors agree in their new books about life in the postcrash world. Rather than bemoaning the harsh realities of the Great Recession, they see the downturn as a chance for Americans to enjoy a healthier, greener lifestyle.
The Creative Class’s Richard Florida, author of “The Great Reset” on global change and recovery after the financial crisis. He will be speaking at the Ideas Fest next week.
JAS’ Horowitz and ACF’s Tormohlen on The Little Dance, a community event for kids on Saturday July 3rd.
People used to follow the jobs; they moved where the company sent them. But today, people often pick a place to live first and then look for work. Today, it may be where we live, rather than who’s employing us at the moment, that attaches us to our work and careers.
It’s not just a matter of bank failures, spiraling foreclosures, high unemployment and the rest of this mess. Many of us sense that we’re on the cusp of a fundamental shift in our economy and culture. Though most may be in denial, the evidence strongly suggests that the American economy has been propelled and sustained by criminally inflated credit and rampant speculation, and we are on the precipice of a change that will result in a dramatically altered American landscape.
In his latest book, The Great Reset, Florida recounts causes of the Long Depression of 1870s and the Great Depression of 1930s, and analyses the ensuing social and economical effects – the rise of innovation, changes in infrastructure, geographical resettlement and alteration of ways of living and working. Florida calls these adjustments resets and thinks the next Great Reset will take place soon or even now, if not already.
According to Philip Langdon, the prescriptions in this stimulating book ought to be on the national agenda. Florida is in the vanguard of something vital.
To Richard Florida, calling today’s economic woes the “Great Recession” doesn’t begin to describe the tectonic forces at work. He believes today’s recession is a “great reset” that will fundamentally change the work we do and the way we do it.
Richard Florida says owning a home may actually be a drawback given the economic flexibility required to power long-lasting recovery. He and his colleagues tracked homeownership levels across U.S. cities and regions to see how they correlate to other measurable demographic and economic factors.
