Cities Without SuburbsBy David Rusk

Presented by

Carissa Bunning

Becky Canovan

Lyndsay Leggott

Key Terms

• Elastic

• Inelastic

• Metropolitan government

Introduction

• Elastic vs. inelastic

• Characteristics

• Strategies

• Conclusions

Characteristics of Metro Areas

• 5 categories of elasticity

– Zero

– Low

– Medium

– High

– Hyper

For a city’s population to grow, the city must be “elastic.”

When a city stops growing, it starts shrinking.

Elastic cities “capture” suburban growth; inelastic cities

“contribute” to suburban growth.

Old cities are complacent, young cities are ambitious.

Racial prejudice has shaped growth patterns.

Fragmented local government fosters segregation; unified local

government promotes integration.

The smaller the income gap between city and suburb, the

greater the economic progress for the whole metropolitan community.

Poverty is more concentrated in inelastic cities than in elastic cities.

Characteristics of Metro Areas

• The point of no return

– City/suburb economic disparities

– The city is no longer a place in which to

invest or create jobs.

– No city past the point of return has ever

closed the economic gap with its suburbs

by as much as a single percentage point!

Point of No Return

Characteristics of Metro Areas

• Cities without suburbs

– 2 standards

– 23 cities

• Social equity

• Economic mobility

• Availability of resources

Strategies for Stretching Cities

• End fiscal imbalance

• Diminish racial and economic segregation

• Promote economic progress

• Control urban sprawl

Urban “Triage”

• Preventative medicine

• Out-patient treatment

• Major surgery

• Life-support systems

State Government Initiatives

• Unify local governments– Consolidate city and county– Combine counties into regional governments

• Consolidation impact• Authorize annexation• Limit new municipalities• Promote regional partnerships

Federal Government Initiatives

• Incentives for metropolitan reorganization

• Slowing urban sprawl

• Leveling the playing field

• Ending public housing contracts

Citizen Initiatives

• Voluntary civic action

• Business organizations

• Chambers of commerce

Conclusions and Recommendations

• Metro governments are the best solution for governing metro areas, however metro governments are not always plausible.

• In this case, racial and economic integration must occur.

• To achieve this, cooperation on the part of local, state, and federal governments is essential.

Sources

• http://www.engr.utexas.edu/che/students/photos/austin-1.cfm