Urban Issues: Selections from CQ Researcher / Edition 8

by CQ Researcher

Overview

What are the driving forces behind Smart Cities? What are the ramifications of increasing the minimum wage? What are the causes of aging infrastructure and how should they be addressed?

These are just some of the provocative questions that are considered in the new edition of Urban Issues. For current coverage of urban politics, readers will appreciate the balanced and unbiased reporting of CQ Researcher. Urban Issues provides a window into how policy is created and implemented in America’s cities and is sure to spark classroom discussions. Each chapter examines the key players, stakes, background, and lessons for the future, while covering the range of facts, analyses, and opinions surrounding each issue.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506343617
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	09/29/2016
Edition description:	Eighth Edition
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

CQ Researcher is the choice of librarians, researchers, and students seeking original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on the most vital issues shaping our world. Each weekly report offers in-depth, unbiased coverage of a single topic. Written by CQ Press's staff of experienced reporters, these reports provide up-to-date information on a wide range of social, economic, political, environmental, and international issues.

Table of Contents

Annotated Contents ix

Preface xiii

Contributors xvii

Education

1 Dropout Rate 1

Is societal change needed for graduation rates to rise? 4

Are successful local dropout programs viable nationwide? 7

Are the federal government's efforts to raise graduation rates working? 8

Background 9

Early Origins 9

"Waste We Cannot Afford" 9

Seeking Solutions 11

Research and Action 14

Current Situation 15

Washington Gridlock 15

Fewer "Dropout Factories" 17

Concern Over Standards 18

Outlook: Striving for 90 Percent 18

Notes 19

Bibliography 22

2 Race and Education 25

Was court-ordered school desegregation effective? 27

Have charter schools and school choice laws increased racial separation? 29

Has teacher tenure contributed to racial disparities in education? 31

Background 33

Legal Segregation 33

Brown v. Board of Education 35

Desegregation 35

Integration Declines 35

Current Situation 40

Education Challenges 40

Enforcing Civil Rights 42

State Action 43

Outlook: Changes Coming? 43

Notes 44

Bibliography 47

Land Use and Urban Development

3 Coastal Development 49

Should state and local governments block coastal development? 52

Can the federal flood insurance program be fixed? 54

Does New York City need floodgates? 55

Background 56

Wealth and Trade Centers 56

Rush to the Shore 60

Coasts Under Pressure 60

In Harm's Way 61

Current Situation 63

Clashing Signals 63

Flood Insurance Fraud? 65

Rising Seas 65

Outlook: Resilient Coastlines 66

Notes 66

Bibliography 70

4 Air Pollution and Climate Change 73

Is President Obama's Clean Power Plan good policy? 76

Is the EPA's new ozone standard good policy? 78

Can renewable energy become a major contributor to the power industry? 79

Background 80

Early Air Pollution 80

Carbon Dioxide Measured 81

Clean Air Act 83

Acid Rain 83

Regulating Emissions 84

Current Situation 88

Global Negotiations 88

Court Fight 89

Outlook: Obama Agenda 91

Notes 92

Bibliography 95

Law Enforcement

5 Police Tactics 98

Do SWAT teams and military tactics and weaponry have a place in policing? 101

Has police use of military-style tactics increased tensions with minority communities? 102

Do body cameras prevent police misconduct? 106

Background 112

Troops in the Streets 112

War on Drugs 112

Drawing Fire 113

New Tensions 114

Current Situation 117

Stemming the Flow 117

Troubled Cities 117

Outlook: Re-engineering Police Culture 118

Notes 120

Bibliography 125

6 Racial Profiling 127

Are racial- and ethnic-profiling prevalent in U.S. law enforcement today? 130

Do aggressive stop-and-frisk tactics help reduce crime? 133

Should courts take a leading role in combating police racial and ethnic profiling? 134

Background 135

"A Difficult History" 135

An 'Indefensible' Practice 136

'Deliberate Indifference'? 141

Current Situation 143

Pressure for Change 143

Mixed Results for Prosecutors 145

Outlook: Regaining Trust? 146

Notes 147

Bibliography 149

7 Fighting Gangs 152

Is the gang threat growing? 155

Is banning street gangs from congregating an effective anti-gang strategy? 156

Can former gang members help quell street violence? 157

Background 159

Immigrant Gangs 159

Postwar Gangs 160

Birth of Modern Gangs 163

Current Situation 165

Gangs on the Internet 165

Policy Progress 168

Outlook: Growing Sophistication 170

Notes 171

Bibliography 174

Race, Class, and Ethnicity

8 Racial Conflict 177

Would improving police interactions with African-Americans significantly advance race relations in America? 180

Would new laws and government programs reduce institutional racism? 182

Does government need to recommit to school desegregation? 183

Background 184

Slavery and Jim Crow 184

'White Affirmative Action' 185

Civil Rights 187

Economic Shifts 192

Current Situation 193

Police on Trial 193

Campus Revolts 195

Outlook: Hope and Fear 195

Notes 196

Bibliography 200

9 Housing the Homeless 203

Does unemployment cause most homelessness? 206

Is Housing First the best way to keep people from reverting to homelessness? 207

Should homeless families receive bigger or longer-lasting housing subsidies? 208

Background 209

"I Ain't Got No Home" 209

Emptying Asylums 210

The "New Homeless" 211

New Strategies 213

Current Situation 218

Arresting the Problem 218

Alternate Approach 220

Outlook: "A Human Right" 220

Notes 221

Bibliography 225

10 Wealth and Inequality 227

Does income inequality hamper economic growth? 231

Are parental background and inheritance becoming more important for success? 233

Should the wealthy be taxed more? 235

Background 237

'Fatal Ailment' 237

Postwar Prosperity 239

The Great Switch 244

Current Situation 245

Proposed Fixes 245

Executive Pay 249

Outlook: 'Oligarchic Evolution' 249

Notes 250

Bibliography 256

11 Housing Discrimination 259

Are current government policies contributing to residential segregation? 262

Are current real estate and lending practices contributing to residential segregation? 264

Can local officials do more to reduce racial segregation in housing? 265

Background 266

Separate Worlds 266

Slow Changes 269

Unsettled Times 271

Current Situation 274

Stepping Up Efforts 274

Squaring Off in Court 276

Outlook: Political Challenges 277

Notes 278

Bibliography 280

12 Fighting Urban Poverty 283

Would more federal aid reduce poverty in urban areas? 286

Do federal housing programs alleviate urban poverty? 288

Should the business community play a larger role in solving urban poverty? 290

Background 291

Expanding Slums 291

Depression Era 292

"War on Poverty" 294

Recession Takes Root 297

Current Situation 297

Promise Zones 297

Workplace Issues 298

Presidential Candidates 300

Outlook: Economy Is Key 301

Notes 301

Bibliography 305