Place Matters: Metropolitics for the 21st Century- 2nd Edition, Revised (Studies in Government and Public Policy) - Softcover

Dreier, Peter; Mollenkopf, John; Swanstrom, Todd

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0700613641 ISBN 13: 9780700613649

Publisher: University Press of Kansas, 2013

Synopsis

How can the United States create the political will to address our major urban problems—poverty, unemployment, crime, traffic congestion, toxic pollution, education, energy consumption, and housing, among others? That's the basic question addressed by the new edition of this award-winning book. Thoroughly revised and updated for its third edition, Place Matters examines the major trends and problems shaping our cities and suburbs, explores a range of policy solutions to address them, and looks closely at the potential political coalitions needed to put the country's "urban crisis" back on the public agenda.

The problem of rising inequality is at the center of Place Matters. During the past several decades, the standard of living for the American middle class has stagnated, the number of poor people has reached its highest level since the 1960s, and the super-rich have dramatically increased their share of the nation's wealth and income. At the same time, Americans have grown further apart in terms of where they live, work, and play. This trend—economic segregation—no longer simply reflects the racial segregation between white suburbs and minority cities. In cities and suburbs alike, poor, middle class, and wealthy Americans now live in separate geographic spaces.

The authors have updated the case studies and examples used to illustrate the book's key themes, incorporated the latest Census data, and drawn on exit polls and other data to examine the voting patterns and outcomes of the 2012 elections. They have expanded their discussion of how American cities are influenced by and influence global economic and social forces and how American cities compare with their counterparts in other parts of the world. And they draw upon the latest research and case studies not only to examine the negative impacts of income inequality and economic segregation but also assess the efforts that civic and community groups, unions, business, and government are making to tackle them.

Fully up to date and far richer and more provocative, this new version surpasses its previous editions and will continue to be an essential volume for all who study urban politics and care about our cities.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Winner of the Michael Harrington Award

"A more level economic playing field for poor citizens of cities and inner-ring suburbs isn't just some liberal cause. It's critical to all Americans' futures. To work, strategies need to be federal, state, and metro-region wide. Place matters. This book gets it, and lays out the basic arguments in brilliant fashion."--Neal Peirce, columnist, Washington Post Writers Group and coauthor of Citistates

"An important book. Dreier, Mollenkopf, and Swanstrom have creatively diagnosed one of the most important domestic problems of the twenty-first century. This thoughtful volume is bound to become a standard reference for students, scholars, and the lay public who seek a broader understanding of the rising economic segregation in our nation's metropolises and how to confront it."--William Julius Wilson, author of When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor

"This book is a tour de force. It not only shows how inequality and place are inter-twined in the United States, it also provides a sophisticated analysis for how to create a new metropolitan politics. Packed with data and powerfully written, Place Matters is essential reading for anyone interested in the fate of cities and, more broadly, the future of American politics."--Margaret M. Weir, author of Politics and Jobs

"A brilliant and important piece of work. Deeply informed, penetrating in its analysis of the problems of economic segregation and spatial inequalities, and bold yet practical in its search for solutions and proposals for reform. Place Matters is one of the best books of applied social science I have ever read and is certain to have a major impact on thinking and discourse about urban problems over the next generation."--Richard DeLeon, author of Left Coast City: Progressive Politics in San Francisco, 1975-1991

"With the publication of Place Matters, there may be more reason to be optimistic about the future of cities. We now have a fairly good idea of how we got where we are today. And this book provides many of the substantive policy recommendations and political strategies that can get us where most of us want to go. . . . It is essential for any meaningful policy discussion."--City & Community

"Place Matters starts with a careful analysis of the government policies that abandoned certain neighborhoods to poverty and decay. Next, and more importantly, the book articulates a vision of regional development with familiar recipes for success-expanded tax credits, better child care, improved health care-but that persuasively ties those into the very streets people live in. Best of all, it's readable."--City Limits

"Deserves a broad readership. Dreier, Mollenkopf, and Swanstrom have combined to write one of the strongest volumes on metropolitan affairs in recent years, weaving together a wealth of contemporary information, history, and refined analysis. They make a compelling case for aggressive federal and regional action to alleviate poverty and to reduce place-based inequity within and between metro areas. . . . While this clearly written book will instruct readers with limited exposure to the connections between place and class, experienced metropolitan hands should also find the marshaling of evidence useful and the arguments worthy of attention. . . . A superior work ."--Urban Ecology

"No better summary exists of 'progressive' thinking on urban policy. Highly recommended."--Choice

"If you're looking for a handbook for the next Democratic administration in Washington, read this book."--East Bay Express

"The authors of Place Matters argue, convincingly and compellingly, that where one lives is a major factor in determining one's well-being and life chances. . . . The logic of their argument is that place should join (not displace) race and class as major organizing frameworks for analyzing the distribution of life chances and the impact of public policy. . . . The strengths of this book are many. . . . [It is] accessible not just to academically trained social scientists, but also to public officials, policy makers, and a broad range of citizens concerned with urban problems."--Housing Studies

"Place matters, and this volume offers a clear research agenda for uncovering the answers to why income segregation and its attendant problems plague center cities and their metropolitan areas. The authors have uncovered a vast array of important empirical questions that should inform the urban research community and urban planners."--Journal of Politics

"Place Matters is notable for its accessibility and clarity. It is also a compelling narrative, demonstrating collective and wide-ranging knowledge of the American city."--Economic Geography

"The authors of Place Matters make a refreshing point of arguing against economic segregation using an economic argument, recognizing moral and spiritual rationales for eliminating inequality but engaging the debate squarely in their detractors' home territory. They make the case that economic segregation is bad for society because poverty makes society less economically efficient."--Social Policy

"Very informative for anyone concerned about the future of America's cities."--U.S. Mayor

"[A] useful brick in the wall of reform."--American Prospect

About the Author

Peter Dreier, Dr. E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics and director of the Urban and Environmental Policy Program at Occidental College, is coauthor of Regions That Work: How Cities and Suburbs Can Grow Together and The Next Los Angeles: The Struggle for a Livable City.

John Mollenkopf is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Sociology and director of the Center for Urban Research at CUNY Graduate Center. His books include A Phoenix in the Ashes: The Rise and Fall of the Koch Coalition in New York City Politics, The Contested City, and Rethinking the Urban Agenda.

Todd Swanstrom is professor of public policy at Saint Louis University. He is the author of The Crisis of Growth Politics: Cleveland, Kucinich, and the Challenge of Urban Populism, the coauthor of City Politics, and coeditor of Beyond the City Limits.

About this edition

• Publisher: University Press of Kansas
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0700613641
• ISBN 13: 9780700613649
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 448