Cities and Suburbs: New Metropolitan Realities in the US

Bernadette Hanlon · John Rennie Short · Thomas Vicino

Dec 2009 · Routledge

About this ebook

This book is a systematic examination of the historical and current roles that cities and suburbs play in US metropolitan areas. It explores the history of cities and suburbs, their changing dynamics with each other, their growing diversity, the environmental consequences of their development and finally the extent and nature of their decline and renewal.

Cities and Suburbs: New Metropolitan Realities in the US offers a comprehensive examination of demographic and socioeconomic processes of US suburbanization by providing a succinct guide to understanding the dynamic relationship between metropolitan structure and processes of social change. A variety of case studies are used in the chapters to explore suburban successes and failures and the discourse concludes with reflections on metropolitan policy and planning for the twenty-first century. The topics of discussion include:

• Key ideas and concepts on the demographic and sociospatial aspects of metropolitan change
• The changing nature of city and suburban population migration and their relationships with changes at the local, metropolitan, national, and global levels
• Current metropolitan public policy issues of large cities and suburbs
• Links of suburbanization to metropolitan transformation and the growing dichotomy between suburban decline and suburban sprawl in metropolitan areas.

Cities and Suburbs relies on theorized case studies, demographic analysis, maps, and photos from North America. Written in a clear and accessible style, the book addresses various fundamental questions about the socioeconomic role that suburbs and cities play in shaping metropolitan areas, their environmental impact, the political consequences, and the resulting policy debates. This is essential reading for scholars and students of Geography, Economics, Politics, Sociology, Urban Studies and Urban Planning.

About the author

Bernadette Hanlon is Research Analyst at the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education (CUERE) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), USA. Her research and teaching interests focus on the urban policy and issues of environmental sustainability. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA.

John Rennie Short is Professor of Public Policy and Geography at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA. His main research and teaching interests are in urban issues, environmental concerns, and cartographic representation. He holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Bristol, UK.

Thomas J. Vicino is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. His research and teaching interests focus on the political economy of metropolitan regions. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA.