National Urban Policy: Problems and Prospects

In 1972, President Richard Nixon issued the first National Urban Policy Report. Intended to serve as a forum for policy recommendations and to evaluate current approaches to urban problems, the Report addressed issues of both urban growth and urban decline. Over time, however, the Report has evolved into a document that sets forth the point of view of each Administration toward urban areas and problems, describing the major programs directed at them.

National Urban Policy examines urban problems, issues, and policy approaches, and questions whether and how the President's National Urban Policy Report can be made into a more useful document for reflecting these concerns. Eminent scholars in the field address the most important problems with which a national urban policy should be concerned, present data on conditions and trends with respect to these problems, and offer possible approaches for solving them.