Publisher Description

Throughout America, cities are on the rebound, thriving as they have not in generations. While successful cities have had their own special formulas for revival, they appear to have in common a clear set of principles that lead to urban health. This blueprint forms the foundation for Myron Magnet's penetrating collection of articles drawn from the pages of City Journal, the quarterly magazine that has established a reputation for pathbreaking analytical reports on the urban scene. The Millennial City's premise is a rejection of the municipal welfare ideology that led to decades of failed social and economic policies. Instead it explores new approaches to crime and its prevention; the reform of welfare to end the notion of "entitlement"; the reinvention of government to make it smaller and more effective; and new school initiatives that emphasize performance. Within these broad categories the book also takes on issues of the economy, housing, homelessness, immigrants, quality of life, and the physical environment. As Mr. Magnet points out in his introduction, more and more Americans are coming to understand that cities are not ungovernable. The Millennial City offers a good many reasons why.

Author Biography

Myron Magnet is editor of City Journal, the highly respected quarterly magazine published in New York by The Manhattan Institute. He has also written The Dream and the Nightmare and edited What Makes Charity Work? and The Millennial City.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Introduction 3 Part 2 I. CITIES Chapter 3 Fate of a World City 10 Chapter 4 Why Did Ed Rendell Fizzle Out? 20 Chapter 5 Willie Brown Shows How Not to Run a City 34 Chapter 6 Jerry Brown's No-Nonsense New Age for Oakland 47 Chapter 7 Why LA is Bouncing Back 59 Part 8 II. CRIME Chapter 9 What We've Learned About Policing 70 Chapter 10 Why Teen Thugs Get Away with Murder 81 Chapter 11 How New York is Winning the Drug War 90 Chapter 12 Why the Jails Didn't Explode 100 Part 13 III. EDUCATION Chapter 14 How Teacher's Unions Handcuff Schools 110 Chapter 15 Why Johnny's Teacher Can't Teach 125 Chapter 16 The Invisible Miracle of Catholic Schools 141 Chapter 17 The School Reform That Dares Not Speak Its Name 156 Chapter 18 The Schools That Voucïhers Built Chapter 19 Yes, Vouchers Are Constitutional 180 Part 20 IV. WELFARE Chapter 21 Compassion Gone Mad 192 Chapter 22 Welfare Reform Discoveries 206 Chapter 23 The Real Welfare Problem is Illegitimacy 222 Chapter 24 The Teen Mommy Track 236 Chapter 25 In Foster Care, Children Come Last 247 Chapter 26 Putting Children First: A New Direction for Welfare Reform 256 Part 27 V. HOMELESSNESS Chapter 28 Let's Stop Being Nutty About the Mentally Ill 266 Chapter 29 Homeless Advocates in Outer Space 274 Part 30 VI. THE ECONOMY Chapter 31 The Unexpected Lessons of Times Square's Comeback 284 Chapter 32 New York's Million Missing Jobs 294 Chapter 33 Let's Break Up the Big Cities 303 Part 34 VII. THE PHYSICAL CITY Chapter 35 Why Lamposts and Phone Booths Matter 320 Chapter 36 Urban Lessons from Paris 327 Chapter 37 We Don't Need Subsidized Housing 336 Chapter 38 When Cleanliness Isn't a Virtue 346 Part 39 VIII. IMMIGRANTS Chapter 40 Bombay on the Hudson 356 Chapter 41 Why Koreans Succeed 371 Part 42 IX. QUALITY OF LIFE Chapter 43 BIDs Really Work 388 Chapter 44 Quiet, Please 404 Chapter 45 Toward a More Civil City 413 Part 46 Contributors 421 Part 47 Index 425

Review

Even when I disagree with City Journal, I dare not ignore it. -- Bill Moyers
The Millennial City is an invaluable record of an urban success story. -- Hilton Kramer, Editor, New Criterion
This is the definitive forum for the best new ideas in urban government. -- John Norquist, Mayor, City of Milwaukee
City Journal has provided a forum for some of our city's and our nation's most incisive thinkers, whose writings have enriched our public discourse and helped shape public policy. -- Rudolf Giuliani, Former Mayor, New York City
City Journal is consistently the most stimulating source of reporting and analysis concerning the nation's urban problems. -- George Will, winner of the Pulitzer Prize
Sharp and penetrating...a joy to read. -- Tom Wolfe

Long Description

Throughout America, cities are on the rebound, thriving as they have not in generations. While successful cities have had their own special formulas for revival, they appear to have in common a clear set of principles that lead to urban health. This blueprint forms the foundation for Myron Magnet's penetrating collection of articles drawn from the pages of City Journal, the quarterly magazine that has established a reputation for pathbreaking analytical reports on the urban scene. The Millennial City's premise is a rejection of the municipal welfare ideology that led to decades of failed social and economic policies. Instead it explores new approaches to crime and its prevention; the reform of welfare to end the notion of "entitlement"; the reinvention of government to make it smaller and more effective; and new school initiatives that emphasize performance. Within these broad categories the book also takes on issues of the economy, housing, homelessness, immigrants, quality of life, and the physical environment. As Mr. Magnet points out in his introduction, more and more Americans are coming to understand that cities are not ungovernable. The Millennial City offers a good many reasons why.

Review Quote

This is the definitive forum for the best new ideas in urban government.

Feature

Why America's cities are on the rebound

Details