>The whole column seems delusional.
It's likely delusional is where you'll wind up when you use Joel Kotkin as a launch pad. A few years ago Kotkin made a list of cities of the future that included Houston, Dallas, and Dubai. Now it's Fargo, Dubuque, Iowa City, Sioux Falls, and Boise.
The guy will say anything. Houston and Dallas made the earlier list because they're the suburb cities he loves to praise. On the other hand, Dubai made it because it's got tall buildings.