The Urban Experience: Economics, Society, and Public Policy - Hardcover

This superb new text manages to capture the broad historical foundations of urban economics and its public policy implications. But it also covers the waterfront of contemporary debates and dilemmas, including those tied to social and environmental values and approaches to local politics, extremely well. The authors' lively and balanced style is ideal for teaching these important ideas, both the classic and the cutting-edge. (Xavier de Souza Briggs, Associate Professor of Sociology and Urban Planning and Director, The Community Problem-Solving Project, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Barry Bluestone grew up in Detroit, Michigan at a time when Detroit was the wealthiest city in the United States―based on the success of the auto industry and the auto workers' union ability to win wage and benefit gains for their members. After completing his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan, he moved to Boston in 1971 when Boston was suffering from high unemployment and an urban fiscal crisis. During the ensuing years, Barry taught at Boston College, University of Massachusetts Boston, and finally Northeastern University and witnessed Boston experience an urban renaissance based on its ability to capitalize on its high tech industries and financial services. He currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mary Huff Stevenson grew up in a Brooklyn slum and a Queens public housing project and has been fascinated with the dynamics of metropolitan areas ever since. She holds a B.A. degree from Brandeis University and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Michigan. A Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Boston, she lives in Brookline, Massachusetts (it reminds her of Queens, but with cleaner streets). Russell E. Williams was raised in Orangeburg, South Carolina. He was initially introduced to the variety of metro area experiences during childhood visits with relatives in Savannah, Baltimore, and the Baltimore exurbs. Today, the intrigue of urban dynamics is conveyed in his classes at Wheaton College (MA), where he is Assistant Professor of Economics. He holds a B.A. from Amherst College and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.