ABSTRACT
If present-day urban trends in the United States continue for another decade, what are the probable consequences? In order to answer that question, this chapter will make conservative projections about the developmental and political consequences of certain existing trends:
First, we offer a summary of the present state of cities in America, highlighting signs of the improvements in our nation’s cities and metropolitan areas, as well as concerns that persist as we enter the twenty-first century
Second, we give reasons why we are unlikely to witness the adoption of drastic national urban policies.
Third, we project recent demographic and technological trends into the near future to show what changes can be expected by the year 2020. That is, how will the metropolis of 2020 differ from today’s metropolis?
Fourth, we speculate about the political consequences of these changes. How will we be governed in the year 2020? And what major changes in political processes will have occurred?
