The urban crisis of the past decade is placed in historical perspective. Only in the context of the anomalously stable period of fiscal expansion and social prosperity following World War II did it seem like a crisis. Put in a more appropriate and longer historical context, three aspects of the postwar urban era need addressing: urban finance, welfare, and crime. Although troubled, cities are relatively well-off financially, while poverty and crime are social problems that have become urban for reasons other than those associated with any particular urban causal mechanism. All three have followed different dynamics, requiring separate analytic treatment.
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