The fate of the cities - urban America and the federal government

摘要

Think of this book as a worthy sequel to Mark I. Gelfand's A Nation of Cities, The Federal Government and Urban America, 1933-1945 (Oxford University Press, 1975). This hefty and deeply researched volume takes readers from the sudden departure of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the turn of the century, just as Bill Clinton concluded his second term. Chronologically organized, Roger Biles relies upon an institutional approach. Presidents loom large in his narrative, but we also find ourselves in the company of cabinet members, senators and representatives, policy-makers, and mayors. Some are quite familiar (e.g. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Henry Cisneros, and Jack Kemp), while others might require more of an introduction (e.g. Lucius Clay, Richardson Dilworth, Patricia Roberts Harris and Robert C. Weaver). Biles makes these Democratic and Republican players come alive as he details their varied roles. Particular attention is devoted, understandably, to Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development after this cabinet seat was created in 1965.