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1. Can Buffalo Ever Come Back?, Edward L. Glaeser, City Journal, Autumn 2007

Once a thriving manufacturing and commercial center, Buffalo, New York has faced difficult times in a postindustrial era. How will Buffalo cope with its shrinking population and economic problems? Will the city be able to find a new role for itself in the information age?

2. Skipping the City for the Suburb, Tom Waldron, Urbanite, January 2006

Historically, new immigrants repopulated older city neighborhoods of port of entry cities, filling the apartments and houses vacated by their predecessors who "moved up'' to other communities. But the new immigration of arrivals from Latin American and Asia is no longer to be found solely in central cities. Instead, concentrations of immigrants can also be found in the ethnic neighborhoods of the suburbs.

3. Return to Center, Christopher D. Ringwald, Governing, April 2002

State governments play an important role in urban affairs with policies that can help—or hurt—local communities. A number of states have sought to move their office from the suburbs to downtown as part of a state strategy of urban revival.

4. Predatory Lending: Redlining in Reverse, Gregory D. Squires, Shelterforce Online, Jan/Feb 2005

What caused the crisis in the subprime housing market and the numerous foreclosures on housing loans? Conservative commentators looked to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) with its requirements that lending institutions make loans in inner-city areas. Liberals, however, respond that it was not the CRA, but the deregulation or the loosening of government rules that allowed credit institutions to advance predatory loans that borrowers would have difficulty repaying.

5. Bridge Blockade after Katrina Remains Divisive Issue, Chris Kirkham and Paul Purpura, New Orleans Times-Picayune, Sept. 1, 2007

Is race still an important factor in the American metropolis? What happened in the midst of the devastation and flooding of Hurricane Katrina, when a largely African-American group of evacuees from New Orleans attempted to cross a bridge and seek safety in suburban Gretna?

6. Movers & Shakers: How Immigrants Are Reviving Neighborhoods Given Up for Dead, Joel Kotkin, Reason, December 2000

Immigrants in Los Angeles and other cities are breathing new life into urban neighborhoods that would otherwise be suffering accelerated decline. Immigrant entrepreneurs are important elements in the contemporary urban economy.

7. Measuring Globalization, Eric Schneider, H-Net Reviews, H-Urban, March 2003

Eric Schneider reviews an important book by Saskia Sassen, one of the path-breaking theorists on the impact of global cities. Sassen points to the importance of linkages among cities that transcend national borders. New York, London, and Tokyo are generally recognized as the alpha cities of a new global economy, with concentrations or nodes of command-and-control businesses, including the headquarters of banking/finance and other multinational corporations that reach into other nations. Sassen observes how global forces are having major impacts on cities around the world, including the creation of new cross-border regions.

8. Microsoft's Call-Center Business in India Gets an American Accent, Brier Dudley, Seattle Times, August 16, 2004

In The World Is Flat, Thomas Friedman described the dynamic growth of Bangalore, India, the university center that became the "Silicon Valley'' of India with its concentration of computer-related, information processing India. The emergence of Bangalore attests to an increasingly competitive global economic and urban system. In a digital age, business firms have been able to outsource work, to transfer back-office and support activities to low-cost and low-wage workforces in Bangalore and other cities around the world.

9. The Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida, 2002

Does the key to a prosperous economic future lie in a city's ability to attractive a young and talented workforce? Economist Richard Florida argues that successful cities will cater to these young professionals and knowledge workers, providing amenities and building the sorts of neighborhoods attractive to the creative class.

10. Too Much Froth, Joel Kotkin and Fred Siegel, Blueprint, January 8, 2004

Is it really in a city's economic interest to cater to the lifestyle concerns of its creative class? Kotkin and Siegel argue that, instead of seeking to cater to the lifestyle of "hip'' younger workers, cities do better attracting both residents and businesses by providing high-quality basic municipals services and a safe, secure environment.

11. The Gentry, Misjudged as Neighbors, John Tierney, The New York Times, March 26, 2002

In many cities, neighborhoods that once suffered severe decline have experienced reinvestment and a rebirth as a result of gentrification, the arrival of younger workers who seek quality housing close to the job and entertainment opportunities of the downtown. But gentrification is also criticized for leading to the displacement of the poor, with changing land values and rising housing prices that force long-term residents out of newly fashionable neighborhoods. Just how extensive is the problem of displacement? Do the poorer residents of a neighborhood share in the benefits of gentrification?

12. WiFi Free-For-All, Christopher Swope, Governing, May 2006

Cities have rushed to invest in wireless technology, in order to provide the information-age infrastructure demanded by businesses creative workforces and to extend coverage to lower-income communities. But is such extensive investment always worth the cost?

13. Throwaway Stadium, Charles Mahtesian, Governing, January 2000

Does a city get a good return on its investment when it helps to pay for the construction of a new stadium or sports arena? Not necessarily, if the newly built stadium is soon judged as antiquated by a team owner who then demands that the public help subsidize an even newer facility with a larger number of skyboxes and luxury suites.

14. Skybox Skeptics, Josh Goodman, Governing, March 2006

Sports franchises, hotel owners, and other members of a city's growth coalition continue to press for municipal construction of new sports stadiums. But critics argue that such investments seldom generate the economic benefits that were widely promised when the prospect of a new stadium was first discussed.

15. "A Lot of Hooey'': Heywood Sanders on Convention Center Economics, Neil deMause, Fieldofschemes.com, September 7, 2004

Real estate developers, downtown business owners, labor unions, and other members of a city's growth coalition use the studies of consulting firms in an attempt to convince both city officials and the public that a convention center will attract so much new business activity to a city that, in the long run, the center will "pay for itself.'' Critics argue that the studies, prepared by the hired guns of the growth coalition, are often poorly done and overly optimistic in their projections, especially as there are too few "good conventions'' for most cities to be able to run convention centers without extensive public subsidies.

16. Eminent Domain Revisited, Mark Berkey-Gerard, Gotham Gazette, December 12, 2005

Under the power of eminent domain, governments have the power to take private property for a "public purpose,'' paying fair compensation to a property owner. But can government take one person's property in order to give it to a different private owner; a developer who promises to bring new jobs to a city? The U.S. Supreme Court, in its Kelo decision, declared that such a taking of property was indeed constitutional, and that economic development was a legitimate public purpose of local government.

17. Legislative and Judicial Reactions to Kelo: Eminent Domain's Continuing Role in Redevelopment, Christopher W. Smart, Probate & Property, March/April 2008

The Supreme Court in Kelo ruled that the use local use of eminent domain powers for economic development purposes was constitutional. But the decision does not require that states and localities rely so extensively on their eminent domain powers. Given the unpopularity of eminent domain, a number of states have decided to limit the ability of local jurisdictions to exercise economic powers.

18. Jane Jacobs' Radical Legacy, Peter Dreier, Shelterforce, Summer 2006

Jane Jacobs was that rare individual who changed the shape of cities. Starting in New York in the 1950s and continuing over the decades into her adopted Toronto, she fought for historic preservation and the protection of neighborhoods. She led protests against the urban bulldozer of urban renewal and urban highway projects that threatened the vitality of city neighborhoods in order to build cities geared to the automobile and to the interests of downtown businesses and suburban commuters. Jacobs argued that the fragile bonds inherent in neighborhood life were the keys to livable cities. Jacobs fought against top-down planning, seeking participatory processes by which the people affected by urban planning decisions have an major voice in the making of those decisions.

19. Neighbor Power: Building Community the Seattle Way, Carmen Sirianni, National Civic Review, Fall 2005

Seattle is a city with a notable commitment to neighborhood power and participatory democracy. But what are the keys to neighborhood participation? Just what steps does Seattle take to ensure that participatory processes work?

20. New Life in Newark, Alan Ehrenhalt, Governing, July 2007

How can troubled communities attract new investment and stem their continued decline? One bit of good news has been provided by Community Development Corporations (CDCs), neighborhood organizations that serve as bridge builders, working to get government agencies and private and nonprofit institutions to share in the investment critical to the undertaking of a housing rehabilitation and jobs project. As seen in Newark, these community organizations are often church-related or faith-based.

21. The Performance of Charter Schools in Wisconsin, John Witte et al., Lafollette Policy Report, University of Wisconsin, Spring-Summer 2007

School choice programs offer parents and students an alternative to the traditional public schools. But do choice programs achieve the educational gains that they widely promise? John Witte examines the evidence on the educational impacts of Wisconsin's charter schools.

22. Charter Schools, Gail Robinson, Gotham Gazette, November 14, 2005

New York and other cities have continued to build on the popularity of charter schools, despite critics who worry about their impacts on equity.

23. First Principals, Sylvia Maria Gross, City Limits, Jan/Feb 2005

Another popular reform route seeks to change the management of public schools, enhancing the authority and leadership capacity of school principals.

24. With More Choice Has Come Resegregation, Leslie Fulbright and Heather Knight, San Francisco Chronicle, May 29, 2006

Public school officials committed to racial integration face a difficult balancing act, as they must also juggle parental demands for school choice, the ability of dissatisfied families to move to the suburbs, and recent court decisions that limit the use of race as a factor in school assignments.

25. Here Comes the Neighborhood, Damien Jackson, In These Times, December 20, 2002

Charlotte, North Carolina was once a national symbol in the fight for school integration. More recent years, however, have seen trends toward the resegregation of schools in Charlotte and other metropolitan areas.

26. The UCLA Civil Rights Project State of Segregation: Fact Sheet, 2007, The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles, 2007

The evidence points to a decline of racial integration in public classrooms. Local school systems have permitted resegregation to occur as soon as the courts have lifted previous orders for racial integration plans.

27. Joint Statement of Nine University-Based Civil Rights Center on Today's Supreme Court Rulings on Voluntary School Desegregation: McFarland v. Jefferson County Public Schools & Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles, June 28, 2007.

The Supreme Court has narrowed the ability of local school systems to use race as a factor in a student's school assignment, even where local governments have set up magnet school programs and other voluntary programs in an effort to improve the racial balance and diversity of local classrooms.

28. Broken Windows, James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling, The Atlantic Monthly, March 1982

How can a city build respect for law and order reduce crime? James Q. Wilson and George L, Kelling, in their strategy of broken-windows policing, argue that the small things count. Where the police give proper emphasis to order maintenance, where even such small things as turnstile jumping in the subway is not tolerated, the expectation for orderly conduct is clearly set.

29. How an Idea Drew People Back to Urban Life, James Q. Wilson, The New York Sun, April 16, 2002

Wilson argues that the broken-windows approach to policing, as practiced by New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his police chief Robert Kelly, led to a noteworthy drop in the city's crime rate. The new atmosphere of public order also helped contribute to the city's economic revival.

30. The Six Suburban Eras of the United States, Robert Lang, Jennifer LeFurgy, and Arthur C. Nelson, Opolis: An International Journal of Suburban and Metropolitan Studies, 2006

The suburbs of the contemporary New Metropolis, with their diversity of population and economic activity, including concentrations of offices and retail activities found in edge cities, are far different from the suburbs of an early era, including the stereotypical bedroom communities of the 1950s.

31. Patio Man and the Sprawl People: America's Newest Suburbs, David Brooks, The Weekly Standard, August 12–10, 2002

Many suburbanites, especially in the sprinkler cities of the Southwest, find refuge in their homes and backyards and resist government intervention. Their attitudes stand in sharp contrast to those suburbanites who seek to rediscover the value of community in the suburbs.

32. Affluent, but Needy (First Suburbs), Bruce Katz and Robert Puentes, Newsday, February 12, 2006

Suburbia is neither homogeneous nor uniformly affluent. Many of the nation's first suburbs—older suburbs adjacent to central cities—are exhibiting new signs of weakness and would benefit from the help of supportive governmental policies.

33. Principles of New Urbanism, New Urbanism, 2008

Can we build better suburban communities? The New Urbanism movement seeks the development of compact communities characterized by walkability, greenspace protection, active town centers, varied architecture, reduced reliance on the automobile, and a rediscovered sense of community. But do most Americans really want to live in such communities?

34. Rocking-Chair Revival: Nostalgic Front Porch Makes a Comeback in a New Century, Leslie Mann, The Chicago Tribune, June 8, 2002

Front porches are a key element in the efforts of New Urbanism movement to restore community life. Front porches are among the New Urbanism design elements that are featured in Celebration, Florida, the attempt by the Disney Corporation to build a more ideal suburban community, as well as in a great many other neo-traditional communities and shopping malls. Oftentimes, however, these neo-traditional developments adopt only a few features of New Urbanism design and reject the movement's more far-reaching goals.

35. HOPE VI and the New Urbanism: Eliminating Low-Income Housing to Make Mixed-Income Communities, Janet L. Smith, Planners Network 151, Spring 2002

The principles of New Urbanism have been transplanted from suburbia to central cities. The HOPE VI program helped to tear down the nation's most distressed high-rise public housing projects and replace them with more habitable, mixed-income, low-rise neighborhoods designed to promote community according to New Urbanism principles.

36. Regional Coalition-Building and the Inner Suburbs, Myron Orfield, Shelterforce, January/February 1998.

Can cities and suburbs cooperate to solve problems? Advocates of the new regionalism argue that it is not necessary to restructure the region by building new metropolitan-wide governments. Myron Orfield observes that the fissure that divides a central city from its suburbs is often exaggerated. A region's core city, declining suburbs, and overburdened working-class communities all suffer when growth and investment are concentrated in the favored quarter of a region's more privileged communities. Orfield suggests that core cities and lesser advantaged suburbs join in a coalition to fight for programs of mutual benefit.

37. Is Regional Government the Answer? Fred Siegel, The Public Interest, Fall 1999

Fred Siegel criticizes the "new regionalists'' who link urban flight with blight, arguing instead that what metro areas need are better policies, not fewer governments. He redefines sprawl as "part and parcel of healthy growth'' and warns against easy solutions.

38. Firebugs: Build It in California's Foothills, and It Will Burn, Mike Davis, Sierra Magazine, March-April 1994

Urban wildfires are a major problem, especially in California and the West. Mike Davis argues that the extensive destruction of wildfires is the result of a market-oriented approach that allows developers and buyers to place homes in what are essentially fire zones. Davis argues against the continuance of programs that help to support such ecologically unwise and unsustainable development.

39. New German Community Models Car-Free Living, Isabelle de Pommereau, Christian Science Monitor, December 20, 2006

Can urban development be pursued in a less automobile-reliant manner? An example from Freiburg, Germany, shows that an alternative approach, more consistent with environmental values, is possible. But are American's willing to accept car-free living?

40. Traffic: Why It's Getting Worse, What Governments Can Do, Anthony Downs, Brookings Institution Policy Brief 128, January 2004

Economist Anthony Downs explains why there is no easy answer to the problem of traffic congestion, why measures aimed at reducing traffic congestion and gridlock and commute times wind up providing only temporary relief at best. Downs suggests pragmatic steps for living with the problem of urban traffic.

41. Is Congestion Pricing Ready for Prime Time?, Michael Replogle, Planning, May 2008

Congestion pricing seeks to reduce traffic congestion in cities by imposing a steep fee every time a vehicle enters a downtown or core-city district. London and Stockholm are among the cities that have had good results with the use of congestion pricing, despite the charges leveled against the system by its critics. Mayor Michael Bloomberg sought to enact a similar system in New York City, but failed to win permission from the state legislature to do so.

UNIT 9: The Future of Cities and Suburbs: The United States and the World

42. Demolishing Delhi, World Class City in the Making, Amita Baviskar, Mute Magazine, May 9, 2006

Cities in lesser developed countries (LDCs) are often overwhelmed by the flood of migrants from the countryside. In many of these cities, the urban poor live in giant slums or shantytowns, with only the most minimal provision of water, sewage, sanitation, and other basic services. Rather than focus on improving public services, cities have instead responded to the pressures of global competition—as in the case of Delhi—bulldozing squatter communities and pushing residents further away from jobs in order to clear sites in the center city demanded by business.

43. Femicide in Ciudad Juárez: What Can Planners Do?, Mar'a Teresa Vázquez-Castillo, Progressive Planning, Spring 2006

Can cities be made to meet the needs of women? In Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, just across the U.S. border from El Paso, little has been done to stop the rash of femicides: the murder of women. Women make up the low-wage workforces of the maquiladoras: the border factories that have grown as a result of globalization, the reduction of tariffs, and other barriers to cross-border trade. Yet women receive inadequate response to concerns regarding their physical safety.

44. Are Europe's Cities Better?, Pietro S. Nivola, The Public Interest, Fall 1999

Europe's cities are more compact (densely populated) and transit-oriented, as contrasted to the sprawled development and automobile reliance of U.S. metropolitan areas. What can U.S. cities learn from Europe? What urban policies can the U.S. borrow from Europe? What policies work in Europe but would have little hope of success in the U.S.?

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