Overview

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 features a new cohesive framework called the Metropolitan Area Dynamic, which is 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 includes greater discussion of cities worldwide to engage with large-scale global issues like climate change, immigration/migration, and inequality. The book also 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 Urban Experience, Second Edition, 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.

Full Product Details

9780197527313

Table of Contents

Reviews

[This book] is the best real-world interdisciplinary book out there [on the topic]. [It offers] strong theoretical and applied coverage of: (1) expected effects of climate change to urban areas, (2) how wealth inequality is generated by urban areas and solutions to mitigate [this], (3) housing affordability in the urban areas that individuals want to live in, (4) transportation/mobility upheavals and how the city deals with them, [and] (5) public safety and K-12 education concerns that keep people out of cities. * Rob Wassmer, Professor, California State University * This book is a good fit for students majoring in political science, urban studies, or public policy. The distinct advantage of this book is that it is comprehensive and covers a lot of urban issues using simple tools. * Rasha Ahmed, Associate Professor, Trinity College * The revised text is organized appropriately by historical development and role of the metropolitan dynamics. Then, the authors creatively integrate topical issues of cities and suburbs. This is a real strength because it helps frame policy problems and policy solutions. [In addition] the text reflects current debates in the literature on the factors shaping uneven development and inequality in cities and suburbs. These are central areas of scholarly inquiry, and the authors appropriately engage these debates and apply them to current patterns. * Thomas Vicino, Professor, Northeastern University *

[This book] is the best real-world interdisciplinary book out there [on the topic]. [It offers] strong theoretical and applied coverage of: (1) expected effects of climate change to urban areas, (2) how wealth inequality is generated by urban areas and solutions to mitigate [this], (3) housing affordability in the urban areas that individuals want to live in, (4) transportation/mobility upheavals and how the city deals with them, [and] (5) public safety and K-12 education concerns that keep people out of cities. * Rob Wassmer, Professor, California State University * This book is a good fit for students majoring in political science, urban studies, or public policy. The distinct advantage of this book is that it is comprehensive and covers a lot of urban issues using simple tools. * Rasha Ahmed, Associate Professor, Trinity College * The revised text is organized appropriately by historical development and role of the metropolitan dynamics. Then, the authors creatively integrate topical issues of cities and suburbs. This is a real strength because it helps frame policy problems and policy solutions. [In addition] the text reflects current debates in the literature on the factors shaping uneven development and inequality in cities and suburbs. These are central areas of scholarly inquiry, and the authors appropriately engage these debates and apply them to current patterns. * Thomas Vicino, Professor, Northeastern University *

Author Information

Barry Bluestone is the Russell B. and Andree B. Stearns Trustee Professor Emeritus of Political Economy; Founding Director of the Dukakis Center; and Founding Dean of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University. Mary Huff Stevenson is a Professor of Economics Emerita at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Russell E. Williams is an Associate Professor of Economics at Wheaton College.

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