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“I don’t gravitate towards success stories. The thought of them kind of bores me. But Phoenix is not a simple success story… it’s full of growth and energy and it is not yet a sure success.”
—George Packer, author and staff writer at The Atlantic
In a hotter world, places like Phoenix, Arizona, will continue to present the rest of the nation with captivating examples of the potential—or limits—of human ingenuity, collaboration and political will. The Atlantic, with its July/August 2024 cover story, goes so far as to suggest that Phoenix provides a particularly important view of the future of American civilization.
In more than 20,000 words—the second-longest story the magazine has printed in the last 40 years—ten chapters and an epilogue describe the recent growth and political stratification of one of the nation’s more environmentally threated cities today. Its author, staff writer George Packer, seems equally inspired and alarmed throughout by the readiness of the metro’s residents and leaders to face the challenges ahead.
Mr. Packer’s analysis complements the work of Ten Across stakeholders positioning Phoenix and other I-10 cities at the center of such nationally important conversations. Because these southernmost major metros find themselves on the front lines of intense changes in the U.S., their experiences of anticipating, mitigating and adapting to the future offer valuable insight at a uniquely polarizing time for the country at large.
Listen in as Ten Across founder Duke Reiter talks with author George Packer about his provocative profile of Phoenix and about key themes from his latest book, Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal.
Read George’s article:
“The Valley: Searching for the future in the most American city.” (The Atlantic, July/August 2024)
Check out our other podcasts on Phoenix growth and sustainability this year:
Understanding Arizona’s Past Present, and Future with Tom Zoellner
Local Experts Answer: Why Are People Still Moving to Phoenix?
Guest Speaker
George Packer is a staff writer at The Atlantic, the author of several fiction and nonfiction books, and a playwright. Prior to The Atlantic, George was a columnist for Mother Jones and staff writer at The New Yorker from 2003 to 2018. His most recent book, “Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal”, chronicles the U.S. political landscape at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the months that followed.
