ABSTRACT
The suburbanization of residents and jobs has negatively affected economic conditions in central cities, but it alone has not caused the wellpublicized decline of urban America. Broad national changes, particularly the movement away from a manufacturing-dominated economy to one predicated more on service delivery, have created a more bifurcated labor market. Lower-skilled workers, many of whom reside in inner-city neighborhoods, have fewer opportunities to find and retain stable, wellpaying jobs. The exodus of residents and businesses from the cities, coupled with reductions in state and federal aid, has reduced resources available to city governments for the provision of social and economic services.
