"This superb new text manages to capture the broad historical foundations of urban economics and its public policy implications. But it also covers the waterfront of contemporary debates and dilemmas, including those tied to social and environmental values and approaches to local politics, extremely well. The authors' lively and balanced style is ideal for teaching these important ideas, both the classic and the cutting-edge."--Xavier de Souza Briggs, Associate Professor of Sociology and Urban Planning and Director, The Community Problem-Solving Project, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"The Urban Experience provides a concise, clear introduction to a broad range of issues in urban policy. It allows students to understand how economists think about cities without demanding a background in economics and without imposing the neoconservative ideological framework that afflicts many mainstream works. Rather it opens students' minds to the complexities involved when policies are evaluated for their distributional impacts and leads them to a nuanced consideration of urban political economy. It is a terrific piece of work."--Susan S. Fainstein, Professor, Department of Urban Planning and Design, Harvard University
"The Urban Experience is an excellent and long overdue primer on how U.S. cities and their suburbs really work in the 21st century. Bluestone, Stevenson, and Williams do a masterful job of weaving together theory, data, and anecdotes to show how metropolitan areas have changed, how they function today, and how they are likely to address significant challenges in the future."--David Luberoff, Executive Director, Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, Harvard University; Co-Author,
MegaProjects: The Changing Politics of American Public Investment"Place does matter, and Bluestone, Stevenson and Williams convincingly explain why. This path-breaking book comprehensively covers the theory and practice of urban and metropolitan development. The authors probe the latest thinking about cities and urban dynamics, linking together economic, societal, and policy concerns. Critical theoretical concepts and contrasting perspectives are presented clearly and the book is grounded in examples and cases. Written in a lively yet balanced style, this book is enjoyable to read and will appeal to students, professionals and anyone else interested in the economic, social, and public policy challenges and opportunities facing American cities."--Philip Shapira, Professor, School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology; and Professor of Innovation, Management and Policy, Manchester Business School, University of Manchester