The Internationalization of Washington, D.C.Abbott, Carl
doi: 10.1177/107808749603100501pmid: N/A
The globalization of U.S. cities is attracting increasing theoretical and empirical attention. The author analyzes internationally oriented activities in metropolitan Washington, D.C., and demonstrates that the city's international roles are built directly on its historic function as a national city. Focusing on change over time, the author also shows that globalization is a stepwise process: Several key periods of the expansion of international functions were followed by periods of gradual absorption. In comparative context, Washington supports arguments about the separability of international functions and shows the importance of historical development in determining the different ways in which cities interact with the world.
"The Myth of the North American City" ReconsideredGarber, Judith A.; Imbroscio, David L.
doi: 10.1177/107808749603100502pmid: N/A
Urban political economists observe that growth seeking dominates Canadian and U.S. local governance. Others believe Canada's collectivist culture exempts cities from the privatistic policies common in the United States. The authors argue that local constitutional regimes (the legal definition of cities, rules about private property, and federalism) best explain patterns of governance. Inducements shape urban development policy in both countries, but U.S. cities generally compete independently for growth, whereas provinces more often direct Canadian urban growth strategies. Provinces may reduce interlocal competition, but they may also move the locus of urban growth politics upward or stifle progressive initiatives.
The Transformation of the Urban Housing System in ChinaTong, Zhong Yi; Hays, R. Allen
doi: 10.1177/107808749603100503pmid: N/A
The public housing system, operated since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, has provided Chinese city dwellers with low-cost accommodation. However, the rapid growth of the urban population, the lack of urban development planning, the bias in capital investment, and, especially, the structure of the public housing system itself have caused a severe housing crisis in Chinese urban areas. In recent years, leaders have addressed this problem with a complex series of reforms. These reforms generally move the system toward greater reliance on market forces, but numerous difficulties have emerged in creating housing markets within a centralized political and economic system.
Race, Ethnicity, and Class in American SuburbsPhelan, Thomas J.; Schneider, Mark
doi: 10.1177/107808749603100504pmid: N/A
The postwar trend in migration from central cities to the suburbs continues. In recent decades, this wave of migration has included increasing numbers of Asians, Hispanics, and blacks. The authors focus on the spatial overlap of race, ethnicity, and class in a large sample of suburban communities. Specifically, they examine differences in the characteristics of suburbs to which blacks, Hispanics, and Asians have gained residential access. By introducing controls for levels of community affluence, they address the controversial argument that levels of racially defined inequality diminish as the social class of members of minority groups increases.
The New Central CitiesOtlensmann, John R.
doi: 10.1177/107808749603100505pmid: N/A
The new definition of the metropolitan area changes the definition of central cities to one based on employment centrality, with no limits on the number of central cities in any metropolitan area. The result has been the designation of 80 cities as new central cities in the 50 largest metropolitan areas. These new cities contain 10% of the total central-city population in these areas. Including these new central cities can dramatically affect central-city/suburban comparisons. This is illustrated with an examination of the location and change of the African-American population in metropolitan areas.