Interwoven Destinies: Cities and the Nation (American Assembly Series) [Hardcover]

Henry G. Cisneros (Editor)

Book Description

Series: American Assembly Series | Publication Date: November 1993

This book of essays about the plight of America's cities was organized by the former Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, Henry Cisneros, before he was named President Clinton's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Some of America's leading urban experts argue that Americans must recognise that the fate of its cities and the future of its civilizations are inextricably linked. The authors assess the problems of cities' shrinking economic base, rising minority populations and decreasing government aid. They propose practical ideas to rebuild urban infrastructure and rethink justice systems and Government. This book is intended for anyone concerned about how to save the cities.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The 13 highly accessible essays compiled here set forth specific proposals concerning backlogged courts, health-care delivery, federal funding and training of non-college bound youth. Cisneros, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and formerly the mayor of San Antonio, Tex., calls for a partnership of government, business, labor and community groups to create metropolitan-wide strategies to renew American cities. Arguing that government subsidies have for years favored suburban sprawl, Columbia University urban planning experts Elliott Sclar and Walter Hook propose policies that would create a "level playing field" between central cities and suburbs. In cities like Baltimore and Atlanta, community-based development organizations and public-pivate partnerships have revitalized neighborhoods, a phenomenon reviewed by Paul Brophy of the Enterprise Foundation. The initiatives proposed in this important handbook call for bold measures of reform.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This volume was sponsored by the American Assembly of Columbia University to examine the problems of central cities in the United States and to develop recommendations to alleviate those problems. Editor Cisneros is the former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, and current secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Following Cisneros's introduction, various urban experts explore different issues; among them, Eli Ginsburg examines major urban trends, Elliot Sclar and Walter Hook explain the economic role of cities, Kneeland Youngblood discusses urban healthcare issues, Peter Salins points out economic and budgetary problems, Nathan Glazer focuses on the need for human capital investment, and Ernesto Cortes concludes with recommendations for community action and citizen empowerment. The recommendations in the assembly report, reprinted in the book's appendix, as well as the essays themselves are essential readings for officials and residents seeking solutions to growing central city problems and will be useful readings for urban scholars and general readers. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/93.
- William L. Waugh, Georgia State Univ. , Atlanta
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 367 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (November 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393035719
• ISBN-13: 978-0393035711
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,494,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)