City Politics: The Political Economy of Urban America, 7th Edition

Praised for the clarity of its writing, careful research, and distinctive theme — that urban politics in the United States has evolved as a dynamic interaction among governmental power, private actors, and a politics of identity — the Seventh Edition of this text brings city politics of the global era into sharp focus by tracing the continuous development of urban America from the nation’s founding to the present.

Contents

Preface

CHAPTER 1 The Evolution of City Politics in America: An Introduction

Cities in the Global Era

The Politics of Growth

The Politics of Governance

The Politics of Defended Space

The Unfinished Task

 

PART I The Changing Dynamics of Urban Politics: The First Century

 

CHAPTER 2 The Political Legacy of America’s Urban Past

National Development and the Cities

OUTTAKE: City-Building Has Always Required Public Efforts

A Century of Urban Growth

Inter-Urban Rivalry and the Politics of Growth

Industrialization and the Decline of Community

The Immigrant Tide and the Politics of Governance

The Capacity to Govern

The Limited Powers of Cities

 

CHAPTER 3 Party Machines and the Immigrants

Machines and Machine-Style Politics

OUTTAKE: Machines Had Two Sides

The Origins of Machine Politics

Did Machines “Get the Job Done”?

Were Machines Vehicles of Upward Mobility?

Did the Machines Help Immigrants Assimilate?

The Social Reform Alternative

Machine Politics in Today’s Cities

 

CHAPTER 4 The Reform Crusades

The Motive for Reform

OUTTAKE: Municipal Reform Was Aimed at the Immigrants

The Reform Environment

The Campaigns Against Machine Rule

“Efficiency and Economy” in Municipal Affairs

The Business Model

Commission and Manager Government

Did Reform Kill the Machines?

The Reform Legacy

 

CHAPTER 5 Urban Voters and the Reshaping of National Politics

City and Nation in the Twentieth Century

OUTTAKE: Urban Ethnics Became a Mainstay of the Democratic Party

A New Political Consciousness

The Changing Political Balance

The Depression and the Cities

Cities Gain a Voice

The Urban Programs of the New Deal

The New Deal Legacy

 

PART II The Urban Crisis of the Twentieth Century

 

CHAPTER 6 The City—Suburban Divide

A Century of Demographic Change

Streams of Migration

OUTTAKE: Immigrants Are Moving Nearly Everywhere

Racial Conflict in the Cities: The Postwar Era

The Suburban Exodus

The Romantic Suburban Ideal: 1815—1918

The Automobile Suburbs: 1918—1945

The Bedroom Suburbs: 1946—1970s

The Multiethnic Metropolis

Has the Urban Crisis Disappeared?

 

CHAPTER 7 National Policy and the City—Suburban Divide

The Unintended Consequences of National Policies

OUTTAKE: Highway Programs Contributed to the Decline of the Cities

The Politics of Urban Redevelopment

Urban Renewal as “Good Politics”

Racial Segregation and “The Projects”

National Policy and the Suburbs

Suburbs, Highways, and the Automobile

The Damaging Effects of National Policies

 

CHAPTER 8 Urban Policy and the Politics of Race

The Brief Life Span of Inner-City Programs

OUTTAKE: Racial Divisions Eventually Doomed Urban Programs

The Democrats and the Cities

The Republicans and the New Federalism

President Carter and the Democrats’ Last Hurrah

Republicans and the End of Federal Assistance

Political Reality and Urban Policy

The Political Influence of the Cities

A New Day for Urban Policy

 

CHAPTER 9 The Rise of the Sunbelt

A Revolutionary Shift

OUTTAKE: The Sunbelt’s Conservative Bent May Not Last Much Longer

The Concept of the Sunbelt

The Rise of the Sunbelt

Why the Sunbelt Boomed

The New Politics of Sunbelt Cities

Regional Convergence and National Politics

 

PART III The Fractured Metropolis

 

CHAPTER 10 The Politics of Suburban Development

Metropolitan Turf Wars

OUTTAKE: There Is a Debate About Gated Communities

How the Suburbs Became Segregated

Selling the American Dream

The Imperative of Racial Segregation

Walling Off the Suburbs: Incorporation

Walling Off the Suburbs: Zoning

The Challenge to Exclusionary Zoning

The New Face of Enclave Politics

 

CHAPTER 11 Governing the Fragmented Metropolis

Urban Sprawl and the New Urban Form

OUTTAKE: The Costs of Sprawl Are Hotly Debated

The New Urban Form

The Concerns About Sprawl

The New Regionalism

Smart Growth

The New Urbanism

An Unlikely Revolution

 

CHAPTER 12 City Finances and the Dynamics of Growth

Why City Budgets Matter

OUTTAKE: Hundreds of Little Hoovers Make the Economic Crisis Worse

Cities in the U.S. Federal System

Where the Money Comes From

Where the Money Goes

Cities for Sale: The Municipal Bond Market

The Fiscal Basis of Metropolitan Competition

Fiscal Politics and Federalism

 

CHAPTER 13 The Fall and Rise of the Inner Cities

An Urban Renaissance

OUTTAKE: Baltimore’s Revitalization Is Debated

The Decline of Downtown

Globalization and the Downtown Renaissance

The New Urban Culture

Tourism and Entertainment

Convention Centers

Sports Stadiums

Malls, Entertainment, and Lifestyle Complexes

Casino Gaming

The Politics of Tourism

Old and New Downtowns

 

CHAPTER 14 Governance in the Global Era

A Delicate Balancing Act

OUTTAKE: Have the Benefits of Minority Influence in Cities Made a Difference?

The Incorporation of Blacks and Latinos into City Politics

The Rewards of Political Incorporation

Neighborhood Organizations and Political Incorporation

Community Development Corporations

The Conservative Reaction

A Convergence of Styles

 

CHAPTER 15 The Political Fault Lines of the Global Era

Urban Politics in the Twenty-First Century

The Economic Imperative: A Reprise

The Politics of Governance: A Reprise

The Politics of Defended Space: A Reprise

The Capacity to Govern