American reinvention, from the ground up.

By James Fallows, The Atlantic, August 1, 2013

Just today, August 1st, The Atlantic is announcing a new project called "American Futures." You can read all the details in an introductory post -- which also introduces a new look for a new channel on our website -- here. Over the past few months, I have mentioned several times that my wife and I were getting ready for a new immersive-reporting project. This is what we have been working towards and have had in mind [....]

This first post is just an overview. As you'll see, it lays out a collaborative effort among The Atlantic, the Marketplace public radio program, and the Esri technology company of California. Day by day in the next few days, I'll explain more about the ambitions and the practicalities of the program. Then early next week, we'll set out on the travels I'm describing. [....]

Cynics might say that I would do anything to escape the next debt-ceiling fight in Washington. That is true. But even apart from that, I am really looking forward to a period of exploring our own country the way we used to prowl around China or Malaysia, and to sharing what we find.