Balanced and non-judgmental in tone, this comprehensive study on urban America provides an historic overview of the field, highlights key economic and political factors, and exposes students to some of the most significant and pressing urban issues and problems facing the United States today—such as multiculturalism, the controversy over immigration, poverty, crime, and public education. Enticing students with its contemporary, relevant, and informal approach, it offers detailed analyses on the present state of urban housing, urban planning, urban governance, urban economy, and the financing of urban government; presents facts, hypotheses, mechanisms and explanations that encourage students to really think about the subject; and supplies numerous newspaper and magazines sources for further research.