Restructuring the Philadelphia Region: Metropolitan Divisions and Inequality (Philadelphia Voices, Philadelphia Vision) - Hardcover

Adams, Carolyn; Bartelt, David; Elesh, David; Goldstein, Ira

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1592138969 ISBN 13: 9781592138968

Publisher: Temple University Press, 2008

Synopsis

Restructuring the Philadelphia Region offers one of the most comprehensive and careful investigations written to date about metropolitan inequalities in America’s large urban regions. Moving beyond simplistic analyses of cities-versus-suburbs, the authors use a large and unique data set to discover the special patterns of opportunity in greater Philadelphia, a sprawling, complex metropolitan region consisting of more than 350 separate localities. With each community operating its own public services and competing to attract residents and businesses, the places people live offer them dramatically different opportunities.

The book vividly portrays the region’s uneven development—paying particular attention to differences in housing, employment and educational opportunities in different communities—and describes the actors who are working to promote greater regional cooperation. Surprisingly, local government officials are not prominent among those actors. Instead, a rich network of “third-sector” actors, represented by nonprofit organizations, quasi-governmental authorities and voluntary associations, is shaping a new form of regionalism.

About this title

About the Author

Carolyn Adams is Professor of Geography and Urban Studies at Temple University.

David W. Bartelt is Professor of Geography and Urban Studies at Temple University

David Elesh is Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Social Science Data Library at Temple University

Ira Goldstein is Director of Policy and Information Services for The Reinvestment Fund.

Review

"By redefining what it means to be a city, this book takes urbanists well into the 21st century. Using the Philadelphia metropolis as an elaborate case study, the authors show us that cities cannot be fully understood apart from their regions, that regions unconsciously govern themselves, and that education, housing, and employment are vital for a region's future. With a keen eye and refreshing insights, the authors have brought the study of the metropolis to a new level and one which should serve as a model for other scholars."
—Hank V. Savitch, Brown and Williamson Distinguished Research Professor, University of Louisville, Urban & Public Affairs

About this edition

• Publisher: Temple University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1592138969
• ISBN 13: 9781592138968
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 248