City Makers: American Futures
The people, organizations, and ideas reshaping the country. A journey piloted by James Fallows with Deborah Fallows.
Telling the story
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Deborah Fallows What It Takes to Settle Refugees
The people of Erie, Pennsylvania, have welcomed immigrants and refugees, and believe that their town is better off for having done so.
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Wikimedia Old City, Old Buildings, New Life
An art museum with a long history reinvents itself with passion and an entrepreneurial spirit.
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Boston Public Library Tichnor Brothers collection The Ebbs and Flows of Coastal Maine
Quoddy Village was built ahead of its time.
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Deborah Fallows New Pioneers in Southwest Kansas
Mexican immigrants on the Great Plains try to build new lives, with hope and help.
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Wikimedia Commons Gone Swimmin’
How public swimming pools show you the heart of a town
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John Tierney Boulder, Colorado: A Special Kind of Community
An exaggerated version of a college town, it's the perfect setting for an unusually participatory conference.
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OC Weekly On SOTU Day, Some Next Steps in Civic Life
A conference in Washington, a development across the country
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James Fallows How to Sign Up for Our 'American Futures' Newsletter
"At the national level, American politics is bitterly polarized, and the mood of the country can seem fearful and downcast. But city by city we’ve seen examples of collaboration, practical-minded compromise, long-term investment in a region’s future, and a coast-to-coast resurgence in manufacturing and other startup activity."
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A Day on the Road: A Story-Map View of Allentown
What you find is usually not quite what you were looking for.
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The Power of Mapping
Geospatial information is changing the way we approach the world around us. Here's an example.
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American Futures Heads West
Back on the road and in the air.
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Eastport Road Map: Global Meets Local in a Very Small Town
The consequences of a good kind of frustration.
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Eastport on Marketplace
Hearing voices you won't forget, from a small group of inventive and determined people.
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James Fallows Eastport, Maine, Population 1,300
On a per capita basis, one of the grittiest and most inventive places in America.
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James Fallows Now, for More Good News About America: Avidyne to the Rescue!
When you have the opportunity to give a deserved compliment, don't let it pass.
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Welcome Marketplace Listeners, to American Futures
Kicking off a new collaborative project.
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Welcome to Sioux Falls
A successful, energetic, rough-edged, and therefore typically American town
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If We're Talking American Orientalism ...
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On the Orientalism of the Prairie
What happens when the "ordinary objects of our culture" are treated as curiosities.
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Giant Lawn Machinery Everywhere: This Actually Is a Thing
Industrialization increases productivity. Sort of.
