Place Matters, and So Does Race

摘要

Concerning the central thesis of Place Matters, I support the idea of regional equity and their analysis that place matters for people's differing life prospects. However, to paraphrase Cornell West, I think race matters more than geography. It helps us understand why people of color, especially Blacks, are in places that became bad, and it is also why it is difficult to move Black people out of these places. Has the United States changed so much that White working-class suburbanites are ready to unite with Blacks and Latinos to force a more equitable distribution of resources from the wealthy suburbs? The current campaigns of Sanders and Clinton point in different directions on this question, yet it does not mean that the fight for regional governance can be avoided. Beyond the need to reduce gross inequalities within regions, regional governance and planning is sensible and effective from the perspective of transportation, health, housing, economic development, ecology, and politics.