Discuss urban problems in the United States

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Cities in the United States have problems brought on by years of neglect and deterioration. Poverty, crime, racism, sexism, homelessness, inadequate public school systems, alcoholism and other drug abuse, gangs and guns, and other social problems are most visible and acute in urban settings. Since World War II, a dramatic population shift has occurred in this country as thousands of families have moved from cities to suburbs.. Suburbanization has created a territorial division of interests between cities and suburban areas.

Some analysts suggest that residential segregation reflects discriminatory practices by landlords, homeowners, and white realtors and their agents, who engage in steering people of color to different neighborhoods than those shown to their white counterparts. New urban fringes (referred to as edge cities) have been springing up beyond central cities and suburbs in recent years. Edge cities initially develop as residential areas; then retail establishments and office parks move into the area, creating the unincorporated edge city. Lower taxes are a contributing factor to another recent development in the United States—the growth of Sunbelt cities in the southern and western states. Four reasons are generally given for this population shift:

(1) more jobs and higher wages; (2) lower taxes; (3) pork-barrel programs that funneled federal money into projects in the Sunbelt, creating jobs and encouraging industry; and (4) easier transitions to new industry. The largest cities in the United States have faced periodic fiscal crises for many years.