ABSTRACT

This unique and inexpensive book provides a demographic and economic history of urban America over the last 65 years. The growth and decline of most northern cities is contrasted with the steady growth of western and southern cities. Various urban government policies are explored, including federal, state, and local policies. There is a chapter focusing on Detroit and its rapid decline toward bankruptcy and its recent strategies to slow recovery. The final two chapters speculate on what's next for urban America and gives suggestions for stimulating growth.

part I|53 pages

Urban America in 1950

chapter 1|21 pages

Urban Areas of the North

chapter 3|7 pages

Urban Areas of the West

chapter 4|16 pages

An American Dilemma in 1950

part II|70 pages

Urban Growth and Prosperity: 1950–1970

chapter 6|6 pages

The New South Takes Off

chapter 7|6 pages

Urban Growth in the West

chapter 8|16 pages

Suburbanization: 1950–1970

chapter 9|24 pages

Signs of Trouble Ahead

chapter 10|5 pages

July 1964 and August 1965

part III|87 pages

The Years of Urban Crisis

chapter 11|9 pages

The Great Society and the Urban Riots

chapter 13|10 pages

Urban Growth in the South: 1970–1990

chapter 15|13 pages

New Urban Scholarship

chapter 16|20 pages

The Vicious Circle in Urban America

part IV|50 pages

The Rebirth of Urban America in the 1990s

chapter 17|15 pages

Rebirth in America's Cities

chapter 18|22 pages

Urban Rebirth in the North: 1990–2000

part V|96 pages

Urban America in the New Century

chapter 21|13 pages

Northern Urban Areas: 2000–2010

chapter 22|22 pages

Bankruptcy in Detroit

chapter 24|14 pages

What's Next for Urban America?

chapter 25|11 pages

Lessons from History: What Has Worked?