Selling Cities

David P. Varady is Professor in the School of Planning at the University of Cincinnati and is the author of Neighborhood Upgrading: A Realistic Assessment, also published by SUNY Press. Jeffrey A. Raffel is Professor and Director of the Masters in Public Administration Program at the University of Delaware and is the author or coauthor of several books, including The Politics of School Desegregation: The Metropolitan Remedy in Delaware.

"This book offers empirical insights to a critical urban policy issue: Can central cities attract middle-class homeowners? The analysis is thorough, the data interpretation is well balanced and non ideological, and the policy recommendations user-friendly. The argument that cities can do something about decline is an important contribution to the urban policy literature." — Kenneth Wong, University of Chicago"A really thoughtful contribution to the policy debate. The topic is extremely significant, both as a matter for policy debate and as a subject for academic inquiry."— Robert K. Whelan, University of New Orleans

• List of FiguresList of TablesAcknowledgments Part 1. The Problem of Cities 1. The Importance of Attracting Middle-Class Homeowners to Cities 2. Central City Revitalization: Three Different Perspectives 3. Two Cities and Their Recent Homebuyers Part 2. The Mobility Process 4. City-Suburban Choices 5. Moving Plans 6. Segmentation of the Homebuyer Market Part 3. Developing Programs to Attract Middle-Income Families 7. Local Housing Plans 8. Middle-Income Housing Programs 9. Overcoming Resistance to Middle-Income Housing Programs in Low-Income Communities 10. Metropolitan School Desegregation 11. Magnet Schools Part 4. Conclusions 12. Future City Revitalization Efforts Appendix 1. Definitions of Independent VariablesAppendix 2. Definitions of Community Variables Included in Factor Analysis NotesReferencesIndex