Place Matters :: essays research papers

Place Matters Metropolitics for the Twenty-first CenturyCould suburbs prosper independently of primaeval cities? Probably. But would they prosper level(p) much if they were a part of a better-integrated metropolis? The answer is almost certainly yes. (p. 66)Deepening economic inequality is fundamentally associated with the spatial polarization amidst central cities and sprawling suburbs, and between wealthy regions and piteouser ones. Government policies have promoted economic and racial segregation, encouraged businesses and the wealthy to move to outer suburbs, and effectively limited the poor and minorities to central cities or troubled inner-ring suburbs.It was fireing to find that 39 percent of all earnings in New Orleans come from residents who worked in the central city. I did not think that the central city of New Orleans had such a dense market for higher paying jobs This fact is truly positive for the city, and hopefully the corporate services industry pass overs t o grow here in New Orleans because the density allows for overall productivity. And the suburban property determine outside New Orleans depend on the availability of jobs and an active economy in the Central Business District. So places like Metairie and River Ridge or edge cities really rely on the strength of the central city of New Orleans. Therefore it should be the vested interest of both city and suburban residents to take stock federal policy that affects the economic health of all cities.After reading Place Matters, I realized that all city mayors have struggled and will continue to struggle with addressing and implementing a plan for the concentration of poverty in their cities. They all take different approaches- some believe that instead of concentrating on anti-poverty programs, they want bring in new investments, such as planetary companies to promote smart growth. This is to trickle down the services from taxes and create jobs for the motivated poor. In order to at tract these international companies, the city infrastructure must also be attractive. Policies that do not take care of city infrastructure and development get little interest from outside corporate capital for investment. Secondly, they also promise things like better jobs, better low-income housing, and better schools but all to often this is a ploy to reprimand support for votes. Inner city poverty ends up being far too great of an overwhelming problem so voting is usually swayed to more programs that aid the poor rather than fix the problems. The wealthy want and need different things than the poor and much less involved than their counterparts.