Name: The great reset
ISBN: 9780061937194

The great reset

We tend to view prolonged economic downturns, such as the Great Depression of the 1930s and the Long Depression of the late nineteenth century, in terms of the crisis and pain they cause. But history teaches us that these great crises also represent opportunities to remake our economy and society and to generate whole new eras of economic growth and prosperity. In terms of innovation, invention, and energetic risk taking, these periods of "creative destruction" have been some of the most fertile in history, and the changes they put into motion can set the stage for full-scale recovery.In The Great Reset, bestselling author and economic development expert Richard Florida provides an engaging and sweeping examination of these previous economic epochs, or "resets." He distills the deep forces that have altered physical and social landscapes and eventually reshaped economies and societies. Looking toward the future, Florida identifies the patterns that will drive the next Great Reset and transform virtually every aspect of our lives—from how and where we live, to how we work, to how we invest in individuals and infrastructure, to how we shape our cities and regions. Florida shows how these forces, when combined, will spur a fresh era of growth and prosperity, define a new geography of progress, and create surprising opportunities for all of us.

What Hacker News says

coecoventuresAug 2012

I refuse to commute. It's maddening and unproductive. I much prefer a medium density mixed use walkable neighborhood. I'm actually working on a documentary about America's great towns and neighborhoods.

I ran an experiment with one of my friends who lived in swamp sprawl built over the everglades where I used to fish as a kid. When I was traveling he'd stay at my house in a walkable neighborhood. It ruined him. He was more productive, had more fun, went out more often, and was much more relaxed than when he was back at the swamp. Living it versus talking about it is a real convincer.

Richard Florida talks about the Creative Class and the Great Reset (both excellent books, though I don't agree 100% with his prescriptions) which dovetails with PG's essay Cities and Ambition.

One area where I disagree is the choice of vehicle. A ten year old hatchback is less than ideal. I twenty year old Porsche, on the other hand, is perfect.

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lkrubnerNov 2010

There is a more nuanced view to be had of the current situation. For instance, Richard Florida has a new book out called The Great Reset.

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Reset-Working-Post-Crash-Prosper...

Florida offers compelling evidence that the 1930s were the most innovative decade of the 20th century. Many new business practices were invented at this time. And this is when Hewlett Packard got going, and with it, what later came to be called "Silicon Valley".

The 1930s were also, at the same time, the worst economic disaster in the history of the USA. So an era can be both disastrous and very innovative. Those are not opposites. To say (as Steve Blank does) that we are at the beginning of an entrepreneurial revolution is inspiring. But he should be able to see that we can have both an entrepreneurial revolution and an economic disaster. Both are possible at the time.

This can be shown with a very simple graph. I will post that later.

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kargdtSep 2010

Interesting. The young couple in the article can't seem to resist the historically low borrowing costs available to them and that renting their place could be an option if they would not be able to sell, should they be required to move. Question- Does purchasing a home drastically reduce labor mobility as it stands in this country right now? In other words, if I want to go out to California with a group of three partners to start up a company that I think will have enormous impact and be disruptive to an existing industry, would I be less likely to take such a venture if I thought that an obligation like a mortgage would tie me down? With the rise in home ownership over the last decade (now in reverse), have we prevented ourselves from geographic mobility because of that dreadful debt burden in a 30 year fixed mortgage? Richard Florida describes this same issue in his new book, The Great Reset. I would agree with him that emphasis should not be as great on homeownership (and accompanying tax credits) and instead should be more towards driving new creative technologies and systems that this country needs to compete.

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