The Fate of Cities

By the end of the twentieth century, decaying inner cities in America continued to lose ground despite the best efforts of local and federal officials. By then the investment in urban revitalization begun during the activist 1960s had become a romantic memory. Roger Biless insightful new book shows why. The first major comprehensive treatment of the subject in thirty-five years, superseding Mark Gelfands landmark A Nation of Cities, it examines the federal governments relationship with urban America from the Truman through the Clinton administrations. Deftly analyzing the efforts of presidents, legislators, and other policy makers to deal with a range of troubling and persistent urban issuesespecially problems related to housing, transportation, and povertyBiles chronicles the attitudes and policy proposals of each president and his chief appointees. He shows that, although various presidents announced initiatives to benefit cities, only Jimmy Carter actually made a sustained effort to do so, while the Eisenhower administration stepped back from New DealFair Deal engagement in urban affairs and LBJs Great Society programs succeeded in reviving ailing citiesuntil money was diverted to the Vietnam war. Biles explains how Ronald Reagans New Federalism reduced the federal governments presence in urban America with a vengeance and how Bill Clintons Third Way for Americas cities signaled yet another triumph for devolution and decentralization. He also critiques the Department of Housing and Urban Development, citing its ongoing inability to serve as a strong advocate for the cities within the federal government. Well organized, clearly written, and wide-ranging, Biless impressive treatise provides a telling critique of how in the long run the government turned a blind eye to the fate of the cities. No other work offers such a useful narrative of presidential action or inaction and Washington political maneuvering with regard to urban issues. This comprehensive history will become the standard source for understanding the development and trajectory of federal policy making affecting Americas urban centers.