“In his usual lucid and compelling way, Florida argues that elected officials ‘need to get over their love affair with big renewal projects’ and steer money toward neighborhood ventures that improve people’s lives.” — —Harvard Business Review
“Enticingly contrarian” — —New York Post
“The Great Reset is an interesting, provocative and intelligent book. Florida is a witty and entertaining writer…It’s well worth reading as a starting point for the future that’s coming our way whether we’re ready or not.” — —Miami Herald
“Richard Florida can be counted among the great prophets of our age. This incredibly interesting and well-written commentator on the socio-economics of the modern era has hit yet another grand slam, eclipsing his phenomenal ‘Rise of the Creative Class.’” — —Falls Church News-Press
“A breath of fresh air for anyone hoping that Americans (and economists) will learn from their past mistakes.” — —The Daily Beast
“A thoughtful, generally hopeful assessment of where we are now, how we got here―and how we can rebuild in the future.” — —BizEd magazine
[U]seful in inspiring thinking about the future of communities, of different types of jobs, and of the nature of work itself.” — —The Conference Board Review
“The Great Reset shows how new technology and the new geographies of living and working come together to drive recovery….must reading for anyone who wants to understand where we are now and where we are headed.” — —Chris Anderson, editor, Wired magazine
“This timely and thought-provoking book gives us important insights into the reshaping of America’s economic and physical landscape.” — —Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the Earth Institute, Columbia University
From the Back Cover
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. Among these forces will be
- new patterns of consumption, and new attitudes toward ownership that are less centered on houses and cars
- the transformation of millions of service jobs into middle class careers that engage workers as a source of innovation
- new forms of infrastructure that speed the movement of people, goods, and ideas
- a radically altered and much denser economic landscape organized around "megaregions" that will drive the development of new industries, new jobs, and a whole new way of life
We've weathered tough times before. They are a necessary part of economic cycles, giving us a chance to clearly see what's working and what's not. Societies can be reborn in such crises, emerging fresh, strong, and refocused. Now is our opportunity to anticipate what that brighter future will look like and to take the steps that will get us there faster.
With his trademark blend of wit, irreverence, and rigorous research and analysis, Florida presents an optimistic and counterintuitive vision of our future, calling into question long-held beliefs about the nature of economic progress and forcing us to reassess our very way of life. He argues convincingly that it's time to turn our efforts—as individuals, as governments, and as a society—to putting the necessary pieces in place for a vibrant, prosperous future.
About the Author
Author of the bestselling The Rise of the Creative Class and Who's Your City? Richard Florida is a regular columnist for The Atlantic. He has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and other publications. His multiple awards and accolades include the Harvard Business Review's Breakthrough Idea of the Year. He was named one of Esquire magazine's Best and Brightest (2005) and one of BusinessWeek's Voices of Innovation (2006). He lives in Toronto, Canada.
