AMERICAN CITIES

We can trace all the problems of the American cities back to one starting point: we Americans don't like our cities very much. That is strange. More than three-fourths of us now live in cities, and more are flocking to them every year. We are told that the problems in our cities are receiving more attention in Washington. However, it is historically true: in the American psychology, the city has been a basically suspect institution. Americans have related urban areas to Europe, which they believed to be full of dishonesty and illegal behaviour. Moreover, they believed that cities lacked spaciousness and innocence, so easily found in rural areas. Therefore, it can be said that a strong anti-urban attitude runs through American thinking. The settlement of America was a reaction to the harsh conditions in European industrial centres. People came to America because there was available land and they wanted to escape from the bad influences of thecities.

What has this got to do with the unpleasant situations of the modern cities? I think it has a lot to do with it. The United States has never thought that the American cities were worthy of improvement. It was believed that cities should support themselves. The reason behind this is not directly the result of a 'the city is evil, and therefore, we will not help it attitude. It is more indirect. Billions of dollars are spent to preserve the family farms but nothing is done about an effective programme for jobs in the cities. In addition, although there have long been government agencies which deal with agriculture, small business, veterans and commerce, the Department of Urban Development wasn't set up until 1965. Now consider this: the most important housing law was not the law that provided public housing; it was the law which provided low-interest mortgages for Americans who wanted to buy a home. More than anything, this made the suburban dream a reality. 800,000 middle-class New Yorkers left the city for the suburbs dreaming of grass and trees and a place for their children to play in. They were replaced by unskilled workers, who represented a further cost to the cities. which doesn't deserve support or help in the minds of Americans.