Urban Issues
Selections from CQ Researcher
Eighth Edition
November 2016 | 328 pages | CQ Press
What are the driving forces behind Smart Cities? What are the ramifications of increasing the minimum wage? What are the causes of aging infrastructure and how should they be addressed?
These are just some of the provocative questions that are considered in the new edition of Urban Issues. For current coverage of urban politics, readers will appreciate the balanced and unbiased reporting of CQ Researcher. Urban Issues provides a window into how policy is created and implemented in America’s cities and is sure to spark classroom discussions. Each chapter examines the key players, stakes, background, and lessons for the future, while covering the range of facts, analyses, and opinions surrounding each issue.
These are just some of the provocative questions that are considered in the new edition of Urban Issues. For current coverage of urban politics, readers will appreciate the balanced and unbiased reporting of CQ Researcher. Urban Issues provides a window into how policy is created and implemented in America’s cities and is sure to spark classroom discussions. Each chapter examines the key players, stakes, background, and lessons for the future, while covering the range of facts, analyses, and opinions surrounding each issue.
ANNOTATED CONTENTS
PREFACE
CONTRIBUTORS
EDUCATION
1. Dropout Rate
| Is societal change needed for graduation rates to rise? |
| Are successful local dropout programs viable nationwide? |
| Are the federal government’s efforts to raise graduation rates working? |
| Background |
| Early Origins |
| “Waste We Cannot Afford” |
| Seeking Solutions |
| Research and Action |
| Current Situation |
| Washington Gridlock |
| Fewer “Dropout Factories” |
| Concern Over Standards |
| Outlook: Striving for 90 Percent |
| Notes |
| Bibliography |
2. Race and Education
| Was court-ordered school desegregation effective? |
| Have charter schools and school choice laws increased racial separation? |
| Has teacher tenure contributed to racial disparities in education? |
| Background |
| Legal Segregation |
| Brown v. Board of Education |
| Desegregation |
| Integration Declines |
| Current Situation |
| Education Challenges |
| Enforcing Civil Rights |
| State Action |
| Outlook: Changes Coming? |
| Notes |
| Bibliography |
LAND USE AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
3. Coastal Development
| Should state and local governments block coastal development? |
| Can the federal flood insurance program be fixed? |
| Does New York City need floodgates? |
| Background |
| Wealth and Trade Centers |
| Rush to the Shore |
| Coasts Under Pressure |
| In Harm’s Way |
| Current Situation |
| Clashing Signals |
| Flood Insurance Fraud? |
| Rising Seas |
| Outlook: Resilient Coastlines |
| Notes |
| Bibliography |
4. Air Pollution and Climate Change
| Is President Obama’s Clean Power Plan good policy? |
| Is the EPA’s new ozone standard good policy? |
| Can renewable energy become a major contributor to the power industry? |
| Background |
| Early Air Pollution |
| Carbon Dioxide Measured |
| Clean Air Act |
| Acid Rain |
| Regulating Emissions |
| Current Situation |
| Global Negotiations |
| Court Fight |
| Outlook: Obama Agenda |
| Notes |
| Bibliography |
LAW ENFORCEMENT
5. Police Tactics
| Do SWAT teams and military tactics and weaponry have a place in policing? |
| Has police use of military-style tactics increased tensions with minority communities? |
| Do body cameras prevent police misconduct? |
| Background |
| Troops in the Streets |
| War on Drugs |
| Drawing Fire |
| New Tensions |
| Current Situation |
| Stemming the Flow |
| Troubled Cities |
| Outlook: Re-engineering Police Culture |
| Notes |
| Bibliography |
6. Racial Profiling
| Are racial- and ethnic-profiling prevalent in U.S. law enforcement today? |
| Do aggressive stop-and-frisk tactics help reduce crime? |
| Should courts take a leading role in combating police racial and ethnic profiling? |
| Background |
| “A Difficult History” |
| An ‘Indefensible’ Practice |
| ‘Deliberate Indifference’? |
| Current Situation |
| Pressure for Change |
| Mixed Results for Prosecutors |
| Outlook: Regaining Trust? |
| Notes |
| Bibliography |
7. Fighting Gangs
| Is the gang threat growing? |
| Is banning street gangs from congregating an effective anti-gang strategy? |
| Can former gang members help quell street violence? |
| Background |
| Immigrant Gangs |
| Postwar Gangs |
| Birth of Modern Gangs |
| Current Situation |
| Gangs on the Internet |
| Policy Progress |
| Outlook: Growing Sophistication |
| Notes |
| Bibliography |
RACE, CLASS, AND ETHNICITY
8. Racial Conflict
| Would improving police interactions with African-Americans significantly advance race relations in America? |
| Would new laws and government programs reduce institutional racism? |
| Does government need to recommit to school desegregation? |
| Background |
| Slavery and Jim Crow |
| ‘White Affirmative Action’ |
| Civil Rights |
| Economic Shifts |
| Current Situation |
| Police on Trial |
| Campus Revolts |
| Outlook: Hope and Fear |
| Notes |
| Bibliography |
9. Housing the Homeless
| Does unemployment cause most homelessness? |
| Is Housing First the best way to keep people from reverting to homelessness? |
| Should homeless families receive bigger or longer-lasting housing subsidies? |
| Background |
| “I Ain’t Got No Home” |
| Emptying Asylums |
| The “New Homeless” |
| New Strategies |
| Current Situation |
| Arresting the Problem |
| Alternate Approach |
| Outlook: “A Human Right” |
| Notes |
| Bibliography |
10. Wealth and Inequality
| Does income inequality hamper economic growth? |
| Are parental background and inheritance becoming more important for success? |
| Should the wealthy be taxed more? |
| Background |
| ‘Fatal Ailment’ |
| Postwar Prosperity |
| The Great Switch |
| Current Situation |
| Proposed Fixes |
| Executive Pay |
| Outlook: ‘Oligarchic Evolution’ |
| Notes |
| Bibliography |
11. Housing Discrimination
| Are current government policies contributing to residential segregation? |
| Are current real estate and lending practices contributing to residential segregation? |
| Can local officials do more to reduce racial segregation in housing? |
| Background |
| Separate Worlds |
| Slow Changes |
| Unsettled Times |
| Current Situation |
| Stepping Up Efforts |
| Squaring Off in Court |
| Outlook: Political Challenges |
| Notes |
| Bibliography |
12. Fighting Urban Poverty
| Would more federal aid reduce poverty in urban areas? |
| Do federal housing programs alleviate urban poverty? |
| Should the business community play a larger role in solving urban poverty? |
| Background |
| Expanding Slums |
| Depression Era |
| “War on Poverty” |
| Recession Takes Root |
| Current Situation |
| Promise Zones |
| Workplace Issues |
| Presidential Candidates |
| Outlook: Economy Is Key |
| Notes |
| Bibliography |
