Cities: The Missing Presidential Campaign Issue

14 July 2008

by Randall Crane

There is a glaring lack of attention in the presidential primaries to urban policy, says Randall Crane.

I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Cities. That's what I'll tell the presidential candidates when they call for career advice, any day now I expect. Cities.

Because the downtowns and suburbs of cities, where the supermajority of Americans toil, relax, and puzzle out their lives -- our downtowns, suburbs and urban spaces between -- are invisible in the 2008 campaign.

This is not right; the policy vacuum for all things urban in today's national debates is both disquieting and disingenuous. In many ways, cities define us better than other identity politics. Our greatest opportunities and challenges are often best understood and tackled, first and foremost, as urban questions.

read more