ABSTRACT
To further explain the adapted cities typology, we now turn to specific treatment of the key structural characteristics of American cities. As we review these characteristics and analyze our data, we will defend two claims: that through the diffusion of structural change, American cities are becoming more like each other; and that the dominant structural form of American cities is now adapted. As we describe in Chapter 7, about 70 percent of American cities are now classified as adapted political, conciliated, or adapted administrative: all forms of adapted cities. While there are several important structural distinctions that support the differences between political, administrative and adapted cities (see Table 7.5), in this chapter we will focus on the most critical: the powers of the mayor, the characteristics of the city council, the power of the city manager or the chief administrative officer (CAO), the reporting patterns for city department heads, and administrative procedures and processes.
