Race, Poverty, and American Cities

Edited by John Charles Boger, Judith Welch Wegner

614 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 2 halftones, 28 tables, notes, index

  • Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8078-4578-3
    Published: September 1996
  • E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-0-8078-9991-5
    Published: September 1996
  • E-book PDF ISBN: 979-8-8908-6454-3
    Published: September 1996

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Precise connections between race, poverty, and the condition of America's cities are drawn in this collection of seventeen essays. Policymakers and scholars from a variety of disciplines analyze the plight of the urban poor since the riots of the 1960s and the resulting 1968 Kerner Commission Report on the status of African Americans. In essays addressing health care, education, welfare, and housing policies, the contributors reassess the findings of the report in light of developments over the last thirty years, including the Los Angeles riots of 1992. Some argue that the long-standing obstacles faced by the urban poor cannot be removed without revitalizing inner-city neighborhoods; others emphasize strategies to break down racial and economic isolation and promote residential desegregation throughout metropolitan areas.

Guided by a historical perspective, the contributors propose a new combination of economic and social policies to transform cities while at the same time improving opportunities and outcomes for inner-city residents. This approach highlights the close links between progress for racial minorities and the overall health of cities and the nation as a whole.

The volume, which began as a special issue of the North Carolina Law Review, has been significantly revised and expanded for publication as a book. The contributors are John Charles Boger, Alison Brett, John O. Calmore, Peter Dreier, Susan F. Fainstein, Walter C. Farrell Jr., Nancy Fishman, George C. Galster, Chester Hartman, James H. Johnson Jr., Ann Markusen, Patricia Meaden, James E. Rosenbaum, Peter W. Salsich Jr., Michael A. Stegman, David Stoesz, Charles Sumner Stone Jr., William L. Taylor, Sidney D. Watson, and Judith Welch Wegner.

About the Authors

John Charles Boger is professor of law at the University of North Carolina School of Law.
For more information about John Charles Boger, visit the Author Page.

Judith Welch Wegner is professor of law at the University of North Carolina School of Law.
For more information about Judith Welch Wegner, visit the Author Page.

Reviews

"Although written for scholars and policymakers, the essays will be of interest to informed layreaders as well."--Library Journal

"This book offers a sweeping and massively documented look at the growing urban racial and economic crisis that has been swept under the rug of American politics for a quarter century. In a time of failing national vision, the editors have provided a convincing diagnosis and thoughtful studies of alternatives to the present drift."--Gary Orfield, Harvard University