New Geography

What New Geography does

New Geography was a private, ad-supported online publication that published economic, demographic, and political commentary focused on places — covering urban issues, suburbs, housing affordability, small cities, planning, transportation, and regional development. Founded in 2008 as a joint venture between urbanist author Joel Kotkin and the Praxis Strategy Group, the site served policy researchers, think tanks, urban planners, demographers, and interested general readers, and built a 17-year archive of long-form analysis.

The platform's core product was the NewGeography.com website, a Drupal-based content management system delivering articles via direct web access, RSS syndication, and a Follow.it-powered email newsletter. Adjacent products included the Feudal Future Podcast (a weekly audio series co-hosted by Joel Kotkin and Marshall Toplansky, distributed on Apple Podcasts and presented by Chapman University's Center for Demographics and Policy) and an archive of research reports co-published with the Center for Opportunity Urbanism and the Urban Reform Institute, including the recurring Demographia International Housing Affordability survey and the URI Standard of Living Index. Recurring expert contributors included Wendell Cox, Samuel J. Abrams, Pete Saunders, and others.

The business model was advertising-based: free article access, on-site ad placements, and a minor Amazon Associates affiliate program for book recommendations. There were no paid subscriptions, products, or disclosed institutional investors. On 12/31/2025, after 17 years of operation, the site announced its closure via a farewell post from executive editor Joel Kotkin.

Name

New Geography

Legal name

New Geography

Website

https://newgeography.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Closed

Short description

New Geography was a private, ad-supported online publication offering economic, demographic, and political commentary about places, serving policy researchers, urban planners, and general readers via articles, the Feudal Future Podcast, and partner think-tank reports from 2008 until its announced closure on 12/31/2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online News and Commentary Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

Keywords

• Online news publishing
• Demographic analysis
• Urban policy commentary
• Housing affordability research
• Political economy analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Forks

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising: The website displays advertising and generates revenue through ad placements on article pages and homepage

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

New Geography is a privately operated online news and commentary publication that publishes articles, analysis, opinion pieces, and research reports on economic, demographic, urban development, housing affordability, and political trends in places. It also produces the Feudal Future Podcast and hosts an archive of reports from partner organizations such as the Center for Opportunity Urbanism and the Urban Reform Institute. The site operates as a free, advertising-supported publication accessible directly to readers.

Product overview

NewGeography.com is a single-platform content website that publishes economic, demographic, and political commentary about places. The primary offering is the NewGeography.com website, which hosts articles and analysis. Secondary offerings include the Feudal Future Podcast and an archive of research reports and publications from partner organizations like the Center for Opportunity Urbanism and Urban Reform Institute.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Feudal Future Podcast: Podcast co-hosted by Joel Kotkin and Marshall Toplansky covering demographic change, faith, immigration, urban issues, and political topics.

Products and services

• NewGeography.com Website The primary content platform providing free, advertising-supported economic, demographic, and political commentary about places, with articles, analysis, and opinion pieces on urban issues, suburbs, housing, planning, economics, politics, and demographics for individual readers and policy professionals.
• Feudal Future Podcast

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chapman University - Center for Demographics and PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Center for Demographics and Policy at Chapman University focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends. New Geography contributors work with Chapman students and faculty on demographic research. The Feudal Future Podcast is presented by Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy. Contact: Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director.
• Joel KotkincoreOthersJoel Kotkin is executive editor of New Geography and co-founder. He is also a distinguished presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University and Executive Director for Urban Reform Institute.
• Praxis Strategy GroupcoreOthersPraxis Strategy Group is a joint venture partner with Joel Kotkin in New Geography. The firm provides strategic consulting and research on urban development and demographic trends.
• Center for Opportunity UrbanismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenter for Opportunity Urbanism collaborates with New Geography on reports related to urban development, housing, and suburban growth. Multiple joint reports have been published including Opportunity Urbanism and Standard of Living Index reports.
• Urban Reform InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban Reform Institute, led by Joel Kotkin, works with New Geography to publish reports on urban policy, opportunity urbanism, and regional development. Publishes the URI Standard of Living Index in collaboration with the site.
• Demographia (Wendell Cox)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWendell Cox, principal of Demographia, contributes regularly to New Geography and provides data for the annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey published on the site.
• Blog Partners NetworkminorOthersNew Geography features a blogroll and partner site network including Burgh Diaspora, Center for Economic Research & Forecasting, China Urban Development, Houston Strategies, The Rural Blog, and The Urbanophile.
• Amazon AssociatesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNew Geography participates in the Amazon Associates affiliate program, earning commissions from book sales linked through the site. Multiple book recommendations are linked via Amazon Associate tags.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Manhattan Institute: Urban-policy focused think tank publishing reports on housing affordability, demographic trends, and city competitiveness. Comparable in the think-tank-policy-report format and demographic/urban subject matter.
• CityLab (Bloomberg): Bloomberg's urban-focused publication covering cities, demographics, housing, and policy. Comparable in topical coverage (urban issues, demographics, housing) but operates at much larger scale inside a major media company.
• Pew Research Center: Nonpartisan research organization producing demographic, social, and economic trend analyses. Comparable in producing recurring demographic research outputs (akin to New Geography's housing affordability survey).
• Reason: Libertarian-leaning policy commentary organization publishing on urban policy, housing, transportation, and economics. Comparable in editorial lens and demographic/economic policy focus.

Direct peers

• The Urbanophile: Aaron M. Renn's commentary blog on urban economics, demographics, and city development. A directly comparable single-author urban commentary platform, and explicitly listed as a New Geography blog partner.
• Houston Strategies: Commentary blog focused on Houston urban economics, demographics, and policy. Comparable in niche demographic and urban-policy commentary format, and explicitly listed as a New Geography blog partner.
• Strong Towns: A nonprofit media and advocacy organization focused on urban planning, development patterns, and fiscal responsibility in cities. Highly comparable in its commentary-driven approach to urban and suburban policy.
• The Rural Blog: Commentary and news on rural issues and demographics, with overlap to New Geography's demographic and small-cities coverage. Explicitly listed as a New Geography blog partner.
• Center for Opportunity Urbanism: Urban-policy think tank that co-publishes reports with New Geography on housing, suburban growth, and opportunity urbanism. Comparable in viewpoint, format, and co-publishing relationship.

Others

• Substack: Direct-to-reader publishing platform. Comparable as the platform-level peer against which standalone commentary sites like New Geography compete; the farewell post indicates migration toward this model.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/joelkotkin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Geography