Joel Kotkin - The City: A Global History - Essay Example

Joel Kotkin, author of “The city –A Global History” and Richard Florida, author of “The Creative Class”, have both focused on various perspectives of the topic. Kotkin, who is an Irvin senior fellow with New America Foundation, has always challenged the theories put by Florida. while the debate goes on, which is entertaining as well, Kotkin in his book supports the theory that most of the times urban city dwellers desert their cities for settling in the suburbs, which is the result of establishment of demographic shifting of high tech industries and major business houses.. Kotkin further emphasizes that this is a mass trend of middle class irrespective of creed or race Kotkin would like to refute the theory put by Florida in “Creative Class” that the key to urban prosperity is appealing to various groups of young adults like rock bands, gays and other creative youngsters. .Kotkin debates this by pointing to the economic reasons of shifting from urban centers to suburbs, which are more affordable and provide employment due to the presence of high tech industries.

Kotkin starts by telling us that commercial activities of the moving and vital middle class, who have a sense of security and safety in the place they live, make a city that is characterized by the presence of sacred places and opportunities of vital economic activities. He further takes the reader to a tour of various global cities around the world, while emphasizing his theory. The tour is about the history of cities since their origins. While doing so, the author lets the cities speak for themselves.

As he records his tour of these cities, he makes it visible that those cities, which have remained as physical entities over a period and are currently in that shape only serving as cultural centers in our history are the places people prefer to live in. He further argues that such cities are safe, secure and vibrant with economic activities, while having sacred values