City-building In America

Why do some cities grow and expand while others dwindle and decline? Why is Milwaukee a town of the past while Minneapolis-St. Paul seems reborn and infused with future dynamism? And what do Milwaukee and the Twin Cities have to tell us about other cities' prospects the trials and destinies of industrial Cleveland and post-industrial Austin? Anthony Orum's new book tells the story of these cities and at the same time of all cities. Here the urban past present and future are woven into one compelling tale. Orum traces the shift in the sources of urban growth from entrepreneurs to institutions and highlights the emergence of local government as a prominent force—indeed as an institution—in shaping the trajectory of the urban industrial heartland. This complex trajectory includes all aspects of urban boom and bust: population trends economic prosperity politics and culture as well as hard-to-pin-down qualities like a city's collective hope and vision. Interspersing social theory historical ethnography and comparative analysis to help explain the fates of different cities Orum lucidly portrays factory openings labor strikes elections evictions urban blight white flight recession and rejuvenation to show the core histories—and future shape—of cities beyond the particulars presented in these pages. The reader will discover the key people and politics of cities along with the forces that direct them. With a rich variety of sources including newspapers diaries census materials maps photo essays and perhaps most captivating original oral histories City-Building in America is ideal for anyone interested in urban transformation and for courses in urban sociology urban politics industrial sociology social change and social mobility.