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Unequal Cities

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Unequal Cities

Overcoming Anti-Urban Bias to Reduce Inequality in the United States

Columbia UP,

15 min read
8 take-aways
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What's inside?

Cities drive the US economy – but they’re fighting political headwinds in the battle against inequality.

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7

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America’s cities present a paradox, economist Richard McGahey reports in this timely look at US inequality. While a handful of major metropolitan areas are responsible for much of the nation’s economic activity, the priorities of the cities themselves are often at odds with their surrounding suburbs, not to mention distant state and federal authorities. McGahey explains how an anti-urban bias impedes attempts to promote economic equity through, for example, investments in mass transit and higher minimum wages. While the bright lights of America’s big cities remain dazzling, the shadows hide daunting social problems.

Summary

Urban inequality is a drag on the US economy.

Cities are the backbone of the global economy. In the United States, the six largest metropolitan areas – New York City; Los Angeles; Chicago; Dallas; Washington, DC; and San Francisco – account for nearly one-quarter of all economic output. While America’s cities are vital to its prosperity, they are also the sites of great inequality.

Urban hubs share four critical characteristics:

  • They attract people – By concentrating labor in one place, cities give employers greater hiring options.
  • They spur innovation – As populations grow in diversity and education levels rise, new inventions result. The mingling of individuals from different backgrounds leads to innovative ways of using existing resources and traditions. Detroit’s auto industry, for instance, was born when people thought to combine their ship-engine design skills and wagon-building know-how. New Orleans jazz is an amalgamation of American band music and Afro-Caribbean percussion.
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About the Author

Richard McGahey is an economist and a senior fellow at the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis and at the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, both within the New School.

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