Urban America in the Late 1970's. (RE-ANNOUNCEMENT of PB85-126845-see notes field for explanation)

摘要

This outline of a series of studies on urban America in the late 1970's suggests that while metropolitan areas are generally in good shape, the problems of economic decline, physical deterioration, fiscal distress, governmental inefficiency, and the denial of equal opportunity that have been visible for decades continue to persist and demand national response. The growing limitations on natural resources demands that they be used in a way that will meet not only the present but also future generations of Americans. Americans currently see cities as both centers of cultural, learning, recreation, and career opportunity and as areas of deteriorating housing and neighborhoods, declining public services, and increasing proverty and unemployment. Basic economic and social trends, income levels, and employment opportunities appear to underlie the troubled aspects of city life, and these factors interact to affect particular cities in unique ways. In general, central city populations are declining while suburban populations are growing; the population growth rate in the older Northern and Midwestern regions is slowing, while the growth rate in the Southern and Western regions is increasing. Trends in economic development closely parallel those in population distribution. The increasing concentration of families dependent on public assistance in the central city is likely to continue, because the average income of those moving out of the cities is higher than that of those remaining or moving in. The fiscal crisis in central cities, where it exists, is due to the rapid growth in expenditures of local governments, coupled with declining revenue bases and increasing inefficiencies in the intergovernmental system. Finally, inefficiency, fragmentation, and lack of coordination by all levels of government have contributed to the urban crisis.