US Cities in Crisis

That is a headline that sounds too familiar. ?Patrick Sharkey, an NYU sociologist, reminds in his op/ed piece in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/opinion/the-urban-fire-next-time.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=0) that the crisis is with us – if it ever went away – and will be here to stay if we don’t change the policies that directly affect our cities. ?Like everything else, this is a cultural issue as much as it is a political one. ?Why is it that with 82% of Americans living in metropolitan areas, we are so unconcerned about the future of our cities? ?Americans have a long history of struggling to love their cities. ?It’s time to give up the struggle and fall in love.