ABSTRACT
This book will change the way Americans think about their cities. It provides a comprehensive economic and social history of urban America since 1950, covering the 29 largest urban areas of that period. Specifically, the book covers 17 cities in the Northeast, 6 in the South, and 6 in the West, decade by decade, with extensive data and historical narrative. The author divides his analysis into three periods - urban growth (1950 to 1970), urban crisis (late 1960s to 1990), and urban rebirth (since 1990). He draws on the concepts of the vicious circle and the virtuous circle to offer the first in-depth explanation for the transition from urban crisis to urban rebirth that took place in the early 1990s. "Urban America" is both a message of hope and a call to action for students and professionals in urban studies. It will inspire readers to concentrate on finding ways and means to ensure that the urban rebirth will continue.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part |62 pages
Urban America in 1950
chapter |26 pages
Urban Areas of the Northeast
chapter |14 pages
Urban Areas of the Sunbelt, Before Air Conditioning
chapter |20 pages
An American Dilemma in 1950
part |78 pages
Urban Growth and Prosperity: 1950–1970
chapter |11 pages
The Industrial Northeast and the Great Migration
chapter |9 pages
The New Sunbelt Takes Off
chapter |20 pages
Suburbanization: 1950–1970
chapter |29 pages
Signs of Trouble Ahead
chapter |7 pages
August 1965
part |104 pages
The Years of Urban Crisis
chapter |12 pages
The Great Society and the Urban Riots
chapter |29 pages
Urban Employment Trends in the Northeast
chapter |20 pages
Urban Growth in the Sunbelt: 1970–1990
chapter |16 pages
New Urban Scholarship
chapter |24 pages
The Vicious Circle in Urban America
part |77 pages
The Rebirth of Urban America After 1990