New York and Los Angeles: Politics, Society, and Culture--A Comparative View 1st Edition

by David Halle (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

No two cities are more symbolic of the modern American metropolis than New York and Los Angeles. But while New York boasts a recently revitalized urban center, Los Angeles is the classic example of sprawl and decentralization, with multiple clusters of economic and social activity dispersed throughout its surrounding area.

This volume presents advanced studies that consider this fundamental difference between New York and Los Angeles while comparing and contrasting politics and culture in each region. An esteemed group of contributors from a wide variety of disciplines considers issues that include immigration, the effects of race and class on residence, the efficacy of public schools, the value of welfare reform, the meaning of mayoral politics, the function of charter reform, and the respective roles of the cinema and art scenes in each city.

Capturing much of what is new and vibrant in urban studies today, New York and Los Angeles will prove to be must reading for scholars in that field, as well as in sociology, political science, and government.

Contributors:
Andrew Beveridge, Mehdi Bozorgmehr, Geoffrey DeVerteuil, Susan S. Fainstein, Robert Gedeon, Saverio Giovacchini, David L. Gladstone, David Halle, Jack Katz, Karen M. Kaufmann, Rebecca Kim, Mark Levitan, Kevin Rafter, Georges Sabagh, David O. Sears, Heidi Sommer, Raphael J. Sonenshein, András Szántó, Lois Takahashi, Susan Weber, Jennifer Wolch, Julia Wrigley, Min Zhou

From the Back Cover

No two cities are more symbolic of the modern American metropolis than New York and Los Angeles. But while New York boasts a recently revitalized urban center, Los Angeles is the classic example of sprawl and decentralization, with multiple clusters of economic and social activity dispersed throughout its surrounding area.

This volume presents advanced studies that consider this fundamental difference between New York and Los Angeles while comparing and contrasting politics and culture in each region. An esteemed group of contributors from a wide variety of disciplines considers issues that include immigration, the effects of race and class on residence, the efficacy of public schools, the value of welfare reform, the meaning of mayoral politics, the function of charter reform, and the respective roles of the cinema and art scenes in each city.

Capturing much of what is new and vibrant in urban studies today, New York and Los Angeles will prove to be must reading for scholars in that field, as well as in sociology, political science, and government.

Contributors:
Andrew Beveridge, Mehdi Bozorgmehr, Geoffrey DeVerteuil, Susan S. Fainstein, Robert Gedeon, Saverio Giovacchini, David L. Gladstone, David Halle, Jack Katz, Karen M. Kaufmann, Rebecca Kim, Mark Levitan, Kevin Rafter, Georges Sabagh, David O. Sears, Heidi Sommer, Raphael J. Sonenshein, András Szántó, Lois Takahashi, Susan Weber, Jennifer Wolch, Julia Wrigley, Min Zhou

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press; 1st edition (August 15, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 472 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0226313700
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226313702
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.86 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,335,189 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,787 in Comparative Politics
- #7,989 in Sociology of Urban Areas
- #20,581 in Sociology (Books)

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Top reviews from the United States

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Junius Gunaratne

Factual and comprehensive, yet uninspiring

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2007

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I expected this book to explore and contrast bi-coastal cultural differences in depth, from their evolution to how they're manifested today. I had hoped for more critical interpretation of the culture of New York and L.A. coupled with background about the forces, politics and people who defined culture in these two cities. I expected persuasive debates with urbanists against suburbanites. Instead, the author concentrates more on how NYC and L.A. differ in terms of raw statistical data -- including political affiliations, voting patterns, education, race, immigration trends and crime. For the most part, this book is purely academic. Only two chapters at the end of the book delve into anything substantial about what it means to be from NYC versus L.A. Even the final chapters, which discuss movies and art in these two cultural hubs, is little more than a collection of quotes taken verbatim from actors and artists. Little attempt is made to interpret any of the quotes in any substantial or interesting way.

The author has an unbiased, matter-of-fact tone through the book. But bi-coastal debates are interesting because they're filled with bias and passion when one side of the country is vetted against the other. Not surprisingly, the author's purely analytical approach makes this book a bit dull if you're more interested in opinions and interpretations about the character of these cities, as opposed to someone who's a data-centric researcher. If you're looking for statistics this book is data rich and filled with a litany of historical dates and facts. The author's analytical approach manifests itself in interesting ways. For example, instead of talking about Manhattan versus all of L.A. he considers New York as part of a greater region (NY, NJ, CT and beyond) -- in contrast to simply limiting his analysis to the five official boroughs. Likewise, when he contrasts L.A.'s core to NYC, he discounts peripheral cities that are out of L.A.'s jurisdiction.

Overall, this book is thorough, comprehensive, exceptionally factual and would get an "A" or a pass if it were someone's graduate thesis. That said, not everyone wants to read someone's thesis.

2 people found this helpful

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Alan Gregg

New York and Los Angeles: a comprehensive comparison of America's two largest cities.

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2013

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This is an extremely well written and well researched book of a comparative view of New York and Los Angeles, America's two largest cities. Where many people would think of New York and Los Angles as polar opposites, it is amazing to see how much in common these two great cities have based upon the extensive research that Mr Halle has compiled and compared. A truly facinating book for anyone who has an interest in sociology, and/or just wants to get a better perspective of America's two largest cities and their respective metropolian regions.

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Doug Terry

Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2005

Winston Churchill famously said that America and England constitute "two peoples divided by a common language". In the case of New York and Los Angeles, it is two great cities divided by three thousand miles and, in reality, hundreds of years of history. New York is the potted plant brought over from Europe, with many fresh seeds thrown into the mix. Los Angeles is the end of the road, the place where American dreams are realized and smashed, sometimes in the same instant. LA is the place where American rootlessness runs out of room, where our experiment of rampant capitalism and democratic ideals slams headon into the future. New York is the new birthed from the past, a European city in different clothes. LA is the new from the new, a place unlike any before it. New York looks eastward, LA looks westward and inward. This book by David Halle is a wonderful artistic tour of these two great cities that shows us how different, and how linked, they are both in fact and dream. While some readers might have difficulty with the academic proclivities of the professor inside the writer, all will be rewarded by slogging through the sometimes dense prose. Halle "lives" in New York and commutes to teaching at UCLA, a wonderful, if strained, life style that truly enables his study and gives it a grity authentcity. (Just think of the frequent flyer miles!) I recommend this book highly to any literate resident of either city and all of those inbetween who want to understand more of our two greatest cities. They say what happens in Vegas stays there. Good. What happens in New York and Los Angeles travels around the world, both a symbol for America and emblematic of fragments of a common future for all.

5 people found this helpful

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New York and Los Angeles: Politics, Society, and Culture--A Comparative View 1st Edition

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