Sociology

Urban Crisis and the Government

Dear Editor:

I am the author of "Origins of the Urban Crisis," and my name is Thomas Sugrue, and I would like to bring this book to the attention of your readers. I show in my book that the federal government's cuts in urban spending since the Reagan administration, combined with public-private attempts at revitalizing the city have cost the city money, jobs, and reputation, and that all of these lead to lack of financing and ability to revitalize the city, leading to an urban crisis there.

I believe this crisis situation applies to many areas of the country, from New Orleans and the reaction to Hurricane Katrina, to any urban area that suffers from a depressed economy and a lack of support from the government. I believe the government is ignoring the plight of many of its most needy and deserving citizens, and leaving the solutions up to cities and counties that cannot bear the load.

Sadly, these areas suffer from the "politics of race," and little is done to stop those politics from occurring. The government must take a much stronger stance on the urban crisis building in our nation if we are to see communities such as Detroit rise from their crisis situations and become viable and habitable cities again. The people cannot do it themselves, although they have been making a valiant effort in Detroit, New Orleans, and other areas. They need help, and help quickly, and that help is not forthcoming.

The federal government seems to operate in a mode that initially recognizes a crisis, throws some initial aid toward management of the crisis, and then moves on to the next crisis, leaving the citizens and local governments to cope on their own. This strategy should be overthrown, replaced by a strategy that recognizes long-term support and aid is necessary in the face of crisis. Without urgent rethinking of this policy, and urgent aid to these suffering cities, the urban crisis in America is only going to continue, grow, and multiply until it is unmanageable and unsolvable.

References

Dyson, M.E. Come hell or high water: Hurricane Katrina and the color of disaster.

Sugrue, T. Origins of the Urban Crisis.