The Urban Experience

Description

The Urban Experience provides a fresh approach to the study of metropolitan areas by combining economic principles, social insight, and political realities with an appreciation of public policy to understand how U.S. cities and suburbs function in the 21st century. The new edition will feature a new cohesive framework called the Metropolitan Area Dynamic introduced in the first chapter of the book, then incorporated into every chapter, to demonstrate the demographic, economic, political, social, and public policy forces that impact metropolitan areas. The narrative of the book is grounded in the real life experiences of students and their families on the premise that there is a fascination about one's own surroundings to engage the students in their study. It uses a great deal of historical and comparative data to explore the wide variation in how we experience urban and suburban communities and will include greater discussion of cities worldwide to engage with large scale global issues like climate change, immigration/migration, and inequality. It addresses the changing role and function of U.S. metropolitan areas in an age of growing global competition and focuses on key contemporary problems facing cities and suburbs. Providing an interdisciplinary approach to the topic, the book introduces analyses from economics, sociology, and political science, urban studies, and public policy as useful tools to understand the evolution and current status of the nation's urban areas.

The book will be a valuable text for urban scholars, public officials, and all those interested in understanding urban dynamics.

New to this Edition

• A more global perspective, including data and policies from metropolitan areas worldwide with all of the data in each chapter updated.
• An entirely new chapter on the role of climate change in metropolitan areas
• The social infrastructure chapter was split into two separate chapters, one on public health and wellbeing, the other on public safety

Table of Contents

Preface

Part I Introduction to Cities and Suburbs

Chapter 1 The Wonder and Paradox of Urban Life

Urban Issues and the Social Science Lens
Our Love/Hate Relationship with the City Our Love/Hate Relationship with the Suburbs The Importance of Density
Urban Spillovers
Economic Geographies and Political Geographies
The Dynamics of Metropolitan Development
An Analytic Framework for Understanding Metropolitan Area
Dynamics
Further Applications of the Analytic Framework
Well-Being and Public Policy
The Role of Political Power and Interest Groups Paradox and Urban Inquiry
Key Issues in Urban Policy
Globalization and the Changing Role of U.S. Cities
The Tools of the Trade
Opportunity Cost
The Criteria of Efficiency and Equity Externalities
Unintended Consequences
Other Important Economic Concepts

Chapter 2 Cities of the World: How Metro Areas Rank
Defining Metro Areas
The Need for Standard Definitions New Definitions
Ranking The World's Metropolitan Areas Roles in the World Economy
Ranking US Metropolitan Areas
Cities and Their Reputations
A Taxonomy of 21st Century Cities
Central Cities and Suburbs
Economic Rankings of Cities
The Cost of Living
Ranking World Cities
Average Income per Capita per Year (PPP)
Poverty
Race and Ethnicity
Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Global Cities
Income Disparities in Global Cities
Using Data Wisely

Part II The Dynamics of Metropolitan Development

Chapter 3 Metropolitan Development from the Seventeenth to the
Early Twentieth Century
The Geography of Growth: Centripetal and Centrifugal Forces
The Era of Water and Steam Power
The Era of Railroads, Electricity, and the Telephone
Some Economic Concepts Underlying Urban Growth
Trade and Transportation Costs Agglomeration Economies and Density Internal Economies of Scale
Size of Consumer Markets Technological Progress
Transportation Costs between 19th Century Cities Weber's Graphical Model of Transportation Costs
Other Important Ideas from Weber and from Isard Transportation Costs within 19th Century Cities
Agglomeration Economies and the Growth of Cities
Technological Progress and Innovation
Demographic Growth and Change in Urban Areas
Internal Migration: From Rural to Urban America Immigration and the Growth of American Cities Annexation and the Growing Size of Cities
The Changing Pattern of Urban Population Growth

Chapter 4 Cities and Suburbs Moving Into the 21st Century

The Dynamics of Metropolitan Expansion
Formal Models of Urban Growth and Development
Understanding Urban Land Values
The Basic Alonso Model---Learning About Cities from Rural
Farms
Applying the Bid-Rent Model to Metro Area Development
The Residential Paradox
Constrained Choice and Political Factors in Land Values and Location
The Evolution of 20th Century U.S. Metropolitan Areas
Post World War II Business Location
The Rise of the Post-World War II Suburb
The Impact of Federal Policies on Suburbanization
Class, Race, and Ethnic Segregation in the American City
New Immigration and the Cities
Cross-Currents of the Late 20th Century: Sunbelt Cities, Edge Cities, And Gentrification
The Rise of Sunbelt Cities The Rise of Edge Cities
Central Cities and Gentrification
The Changing Fortunes of Individual Cities
Globalization and the Competition for Industry in the 21st Century
Weber and the Twenty-First-Century City

Part III Foundations of Metropolitan Area Prosperity

Chapter 5 Urban Prosperity and the Role of Trade
A Short Primer on the Economics of Trade
Absolute Advantage Comparative Advantage
Limitations to the Theory of Comparative Advantage
New Trade Theory
The Theory of Competitive Advantage
Trade and Prosperity
Export Base Theory: The Demand Side of the Metropolitan Area's Economy
The Basic/Non-Basic Approach: A Simple Measurement Technique
Job Multipliers Location Quotients
Limitations of the Basic/Non-Basic Approach
Input-Output Analysis: A More Complex Set of Tools
Limitations of the Input-Output Measurement Technique Limitations of the Demand Side Focus
Shifting the Focus from the Demand Side to the Supply Side
The Supply Side: A Long-Term Perspective
Interactions between the Demand Side and the Supply Side
Strategies for Less-Resilient Metropolitan Areas
Competitive Advantage in Inner-City Neighborhoods
Understanding Metro Area Prosperity in Light of Economic Theory
Newly Prosperous Metro Areas in the US
Summing Up

Chapter 6 Urban Labor Markets and Metro Prosperity
The National Economic Business Cycle
Unemployment Across the Globe
Employment and Unemployment in the United States
What Occupations Pay
Labor Market Earnings by Metro Area
Occupational Wage Differentials Across Metro Areas
Occupational Wage Differentials Between Occupations Across
Metro Areas
Theories About Wage Determination
Understanding Wage Differentials
Human Capital
Market Power and Barriers to Mobility in the Labor Market
Racial and Ethnic Discrimination
Spatial Mismatch
Skills Mismatch
Employment, Social Networks, and Social Capital
The Role of Unions
Immigration
Explaining Metro Area Earnings Differentials: A Summary
Labor Markets and Urban Prosperity

Part IV Current Policy Issues in Metro Areas

Chapter 7 The Urban Public Sector
Government's Economic Role in Metro Areas
How the Private Market is Supposed to Work
Supply and Demand in the Private Sector
Market Failure and the Public Sector
Market Power
Information Problems
Negative and Positive Externalities Pure Public Goods
Government and the Distribution of Well-Being
The Debate over the Scope of Government Intervention
Market Failure and the Alternatives for Providing Goods and Services
Regulated Private Markets Public Funding/Private Provision Public Provision
Local Government Employment and Spending Patterns
Privatization of Public Services
Paying for Government Services
Income and Sales Taxes Levied by Local Governments
Pricing in the Public Sector
A Primer on the Economics of Building and Paying for Bridges User Fees
The Tiebout Hypothesis
Limitations in the Tiebout Hypothesis Metropolitanism
Individuals, Interest Groups, and Values
Public Choice Theory Interest Groups and Elites Incrementalism
Regime Theory and Growth Machines
The Nature of Voting Systems
The Challenge of Public Sector Decision Making
Appendix A: Negative Externalities
Appendix B: Positive Externalities

Chapter 8 Urban Public Education and Metro Prosperity
The Decentralized U.S. Education System
Variation in School Spending
The Importance of Schooling in Modern Society
Variation in Educational Attainment across Metro Areas Educational Attainment and Metro Area Income
Education, New Growth Theory, and the Well-Being of Cities and Suburbs
Education Production Functions
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Educational Opportunity and
Outcomes
Trends in School Success by Race and Ethnicity
Understanding “Meritocracy”
Educational Success: The Role of Pre-School
Does the Level of Spending on K-12 Really Matter?
An Expanded Education Production Function
A Growing Array of Public Schools
Career and Technical Education Public Schools
Magnet Schools, Charter Schools, and For-Profit Schools
School Choice and Voucher Systems Do These School Reforms Work?

Chapter 9 Urban Physical Infrastructure: Water, Sewer, Waste, and Energy
Combating Disease and Death
Density and the Spread of Epidemics
Water Supply Systems
From Private to Public Operation
Solid Waste Management
The First Municipal Garbage System Coping with Mountains of Trash
Urban Wastewater and Sewers
Urban Sewer Systems
New Challenges to Urban Sewer Systems
Urban Energy Infrastructure
Traditional Energy Sources
The Impact of New Prime Movers in the Industrial Age
Location, Location, Location -- The Problem of Distance and the
Impact of Electricity
New Fossil Fuel Sources, Distance, and Pipelines
Energy Infrastructure in the Early 21st Century

Chapter 10 Urban Area Transportation
What Consumers Want: The Demand Side of Metropolitan Transportation
Travel Trends
The Journey to Work
Externalities and the Movement of Goods
Externalities and Mass Transit Subsidies
The Supply Side of Metropolitan Transportation
Issues in Contemporary Metropolitan Transportation Policy Short Run Issues: Getting Prices Right
Long Run Issues: Deciding on Future Transportation
Infrastructure Investment
Transportation Equity Issues

Chapter 11 Urban Social Infrastructure: Public Health, Welfare Policies, and Public Amenities
Public Health Indicators
The Provision of Public Health Services
Infectious Diseases
Chronic Illnesses and the Expansion of Public Health Initiatives
Personal Health Care: Hospitals and Health Centers
Health Care for the Poor
Health Disparities in the Metro Region
Urban Public Health in a Global Context: Epidemics, Bioterrorism, and Homeland Security
Urban Social Welfare: Poverty, Unemployment and Living Conditions
Ameliorating Living Conditions in Poor Neighborhoods
Urban Public Amenities: Pastoral Parks and Public Libraries
Social Unrest and the Provision of Urban Public Amenities
Failure of Expectations and a Repurposing for the Twenty-First Century

Chapter 12 Urban Public Safety
Urban Police
Police, Public Safety and the Public -- Some Basic Questions
The Origins of Municipal Police Forces in the US
Twentieth Century Transformation of Urban Police Departments
The Role of Civilian Employees in Police Departments
Crime Prevention in Urban Settings: From 20th Century to 21st
Century Paradigms
Reimagining Public Safety for the 21st Century
Insights From the Data
New Issues of the 21st Century: Private Security, Internet Crime, and Homeland Security
Fire Departments
Fire Safety Regulations
Structural and Chemical Fire Hazards
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Chapter 13 Land Use Controls, Sprawl, and Smart Growth
Land Use Restrictions and Zoning
The Power of Eminent Domain
The Legalization of U.S. Zoning Regulations
Types of Zoning Regulations
Underzoning and Overzoning
Equity Issues in Zoning
Zoning and Informal Settlements
Zoning and Metropolitan Sprawl What's Wrong with Sprawl
Urban Sprawl and Commuting Times
The Debate About Sprawl
Measuring Sprawl
Generating Sprawl: Market Forces and Public Policy Reducing Sprawl: Market Forces and Public Policy Smart Growth
Density, Crowding, and Pandemics
Barriers to Smart Growth Implementation
Equity and Efficiency Considerations in Alternative Metropolitan
Growth Scenarios
Land Use Controls and Spatial Form

Chapter 14 Urban Housing Markets, Residential Location, and Housing Policy
The Size of the U.S. Housing Market
U.S. Home Ownership Rates over Time
Variance in Home Prices and Rents Across Metro Areas
What Drives Metro Area Housing Prices: Supply and Demand
Pricing Housing and the Hedonic Index
Budget Constraints and Housing Preferences
Housing "Affordability"
Housing Prices and Vacancy Rates
The Impact of Accelerating Home Prices and Rents on Household Location
Post World War II Suburbanization and Residential Segregation
Measuring Segregation
The Causes of Housing Segregation
Segregation and Social-Class Structure Concentrated Poverty in the Inner City
The Suburbanization of Poverty
Housing Policy across the Globe
U.S. Federal Housing Policy
Subsidizing Housing Demand Subsidizing Housing Supply
State and Local Housing Policy
Rent Control
The Unintended Short Run Consequences of Rent Control
Intervening in Housing Markets: A Word of Caution

Chapter 15 Urban Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change
The Human Causes of Climate Disasters
Rising Global Temperatures and the Potential Impact on Cities
Major Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG)
The Cities Most Likely to Experience the Impact of Climate Change
The Impact of Climate Change on U.S. Regions and States
Sea Level Rise and Ground Water Loss
A Tale of One City
Combatting Environmental Disaster by Reducing Greenhouse Gases
Reducing Pollution of Varied Types
Climate Adaptation Activities and Climate Resilience
Relocation as a Response to Climate Change
Steps Toward an Urban Resilience Plan
Tools for Comparing and Selecting Adaptation Options
Urban Measures to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Reducing Waste and Recycling Trash
Creating Urban Energy Systems
Reducing Vehicle Emissions
Can Cities be Good for the Environment?
Appendix A: Cost-Benefit Analysis

Chapter 16 Urban Economic Development Strategies
Firm Relocation in the U.S.
The Trend in Manufacturing Employment
The Geographic Dispersion of Jobs
Goals of Economic Development
Location from the Business Perspective
Public Policy, Economic Development, and Firm Location
Reducing Capital Costs (r x K) Reducing Labor Costs (w x L)
Reducing Raw Materials, Natural Resources, and Transportation Costs (pn x N), Cs
Reducing Taxes (T) Streamlining Regulations (R) Increasing Social Amenities
What Works?
Increasing a Firm's Total Revenue Reducing a Firm's Capital Costs
Reducing Labor Costs/Increasing Skills and Education Public Provision of Transportation and Land Industrial Parks and Eminent Domain
Reducing State and Local Taxes
Streamlining Regulations and Enterprise Zones Building Convention Centers and Sports Stadiums
Why Do Cities Pursue Economic Development Strategies with Such Low Payoffs?
What are the Most Powerful Ways for Cities to Attract Private Investment and Jobs?
Innovation Districts
Playing Industrial Policy Right - The Case of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
What Should City Leaders and Policy Makers Do to Play the Economic Development Game Better?

Chapter 17 Urban Well-Being, Civility, and Civic Engagement in the 21st Century
What Do We Want from our Neighborhoods and How Do We Get It?
The Tiebout Hypothesis and Privatization of Public Spaces Gated Communities and the Avoidance of Dis-Amenities Dissatisfied Citizens and their Choices: Exit versus Voice
How Do We Create Better Communities?
The Role of Social Capital and Civic Engagement Social Capital, Suburbanization, and Sprawl Social Capital and Neighborhood Form
Neighborhood Form and Crime Reduction
The Effect of Social Capital on the Lives of the Most Vulnerable
The Future of Metropolitan Areas
Pandemics and the Future of Metropolitan Areas
Crosscurrents in the Impact of Covid-19 on U.S. Metropolitan Areas
Regeneration for Whom? Rebuilding Central City Neighborhoods Demographic Change and Low Income Communities
The Perils of Success
An Urban Thought Experiment

Glossary

Index