Cities and Suburbs: New Metropolitan Realities in the US

"The metropolitanization of America has been accompanied by some surprising changes in political, economic, social and physical landscapes. This book is an excellent primer on the new realities of reconfigured and resurgent metropolitan settings." ―Professor Paul Knox, Virginia Tech, USA

"For over half a century the process of suburbanisation has transformed American society. This timely contribution offers an informed, informative and incisive commentary on the trends and consequences of this ongoing process in the US"―Professor Michael Pacione, University of Strathclyde, UK

"...an enlightening and thorough new study..." ― The Next American City, Issue 26, 2010

 "With their superbly resesarched, provocative, and highly recommended contribution, Hanlon, Short, and Vicino are at the forefront of this approach to urban scholarship." ―Kyle E. Walker, University of Minnesota, USA

"...a comprehensive description and evaluation of the evolving U.S. metropolis that challenges traditional understandings of American metropolitan structure."―Economic Development Quarterly, Ralph B. McLaughlin, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia

"Recommended. All undergraduate libraries."―CHOICE, E. Carlson, Florida, State University

 "This a Goldilocks book: not too long, not too short, just right"―Journal of the American Planning Association, William H. Lucy, University of Virginia, USA

"...an ideal textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. Overall, Cities and Suburbs: New Metropolitan Realities in the US is a great resource for policy analysts andmakers aswell asmetropolitan scholars in many disciplines including geography, economics, politics, sociology, urban studies, and urban planning." ―Journal of Planning Literature, Katrin B. Anacker, George Mason University, USA

"This compact and well-written book is an ideal text for the many disciplines that study the confounding complexity of the U.S. metropolis.  It focuses abstract discussion by presenting specific case studies and provides concise summaries, numerous citations of major works, and an excellent bibliography. The perceptive and lively style makes it instructive, enjoyable reading."―The Professional Geographer, Jo Margaret Mano, Department of Geography, State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, NY, USA

"Cities and Suburbs provides quite welcome, up-to-date insights into the state of American suburbs in metropolitan contexts, based on current literature and most recent research findings. The format of the book is highly accessible. Each chapter is accompanied by a list of references for further reading and an illustrative case study. This makes it quite useful for teaching purposes as well."―Urban Geography 31.7, Markus Hesse, Geography and Spatial Planning Research Centre, University of Luxemburg, Luxemburg

This book is a systematic examination of the historical and current roles that cities and suburbs play in US metropolitan areas. It explores the history of cities and suburbs, their changing dynamics with each other, their growing diversity, the environmental consequences of their development and finally the extent and nature of their decline and renewal.

Cities and Suburbs: New Metropolitan Realities in the US offers a comprehensive examination of demographic and socioeconomic processes of US suburbanization by providing a succinct guide to understanding the dynamic relationship between metropolitan structure and processes of social change. A variety of case studies are used in the chapters to explore suburban successes and failures and the discourse concludes with reflections on metropolitan policy and planning for the twenty-first century. The topics of discussion include:

• Key ideas and concepts on the demographic and sociospatial aspects of metropolitan change
• The changing nature of city and suburban population migration and their relationships with changes at the local, metropolitan, national, and global levels
• Current metropolitan public policy issues of large cities and suburbs
• Links of suburbanization to metropolitan transformation and the growing dichotomy between suburban decline and suburban sprawl in metropolitan areas.

Cities and Suburbs relies on theorized case studies, demographic analysis, maps, and photos from North America. Written in a clear and accessible style, the book addresses various fundamental questions about the socioeconomic role that suburbs and cities play in shaping metropolitan areas, their environmental impact, the political consequences, and the resulting policy debates. This is essential reading for scholars and students of Geography, Economics, Politics, Sociology, Urban Studies and Urban Planning.