The Wealth of Cities: Revitalizing the Centers of American Life

John Norquist, the Democratic mayor of Milwaukee, is one of the most perceptive analysts of urban policy. In his new book, he describes how the natural advantages of cities — as centers of commerce, innovation, and culture - have been undermined by a half century of ill-conceived education, welfare, housing, transportation, crime, and environmental policies that have resulted in urban decline and suburban sprawl. Among his proposed solutions are school choice; competition for public works contracts; and real work, not "workfare."