The Disappearance of Communities from National Urban Policy

Abstract

Using data primarily from suburban cities in the United States, three arguments are developed: (1) Current patterns of unequal development of communities are partly caused by governmental organization and action. (2) Community inequalities create long-term social problems and fiscal crises that can be anticipated in the short term. (3) Current national urban policy will aggravate rather than ameliorate these problems. In this sense, communities have disappeared from national urban policy.