Key Urban Issues Context of Urban Change - Macroeconomic, Technological, and Demographic Uneven Growth of Metro Areas Increased Income Inequality among Metro Areas International Migration Decentralization of Metro Areas Urban Flight/Interregional Migration Social Polarization within cities Changing conditions of Inner City neighborhoods Housing Affordability Fiscal Issues Source: Wyly, Glickman, and Lahr, “A Top 10 List of Things to Know about American Cities,” Cityscape, Vol. 3, No. 3, 1998

Distress and Decline Measures Unemployment Rate Change in Unemployment Rate Violent Crime Rate Change in Violent Crime Rate Population in Poverty Families in Poverty Change in percent of poor families Income per capita Change in income per capita Percent of 1970 housing stock built before 1940 City debt burden Change in city debt burden

Urban Measures Decline: Negative changes in key conditions Distress: Low level conditions of desirability Disparity: City compared to its SMSA Divergence: Changes in disparity Source: Bradbury, Downs, and Small, Urban Decline and the Future of American Cities (Brookings, 1982)

How Did Boston Rank? 1970 - 1980 Most distressed and declining cities: Atlanta, BOSTON, Cleveland, Dayton, Hartford, Philadelphia, Newark, and Trenton BOSTON and Cleveland are in the most disadvantaged third of all nine components of the city distress and decline indexes. City Distress Index: BOSTON -5 (Worst) City Decline Index: BOSTON -4 (Worst) SMSA Decline Index: BOSTON -4 (Worst) Disparity Index: BOSTON -5 (Worst) Source: Bradbury, Downs, and Small, Urban Decline and the Future of American Cities (Brookings, 1982)

The Boston Renaissance: The Triple Revolution Demographic Change

The Industrial Revolution

The Spatial Revolution

Racial/Ethnic Attitudes & Residential Segregation

Income and Wealth

High School Degree or Less Men’s Earnings High School Degree or Less

Unemployment Rate Men Figure 8.6 8.2% 2.8% 2.1% 15.2% 7.1% 7.1% Men More than 12 Years of Education Men 16% 12% Percent 8.2% 8% 2.8% 4% 2.1% 0% Black Hispanic White HS Degree or Less Men 15.2% 16% 12% Percent 7.1% 7.1% 8% 4% 0% Black Hispanic White

High School Degree or Less Women’s Earnings High School Degree or Less