This book explores how central and suburban cities in the United States have continually been built, shaped, and reshaped to meet American middle class needs and desires-resulting in the racial, political, and economic conditions in our cities today.

The construction and design of America's cities-their residential and retail areas, streets and buildings, land use choices and transportation systems-show a distinct bias toward the middle class, which has reinforced, if not caused, many of the disadvantages of the poor and working class in today's cities. How and why did this happen? What are the cumulative impacts of these changes and developments on the rest of society?



Built for the Middle Class: Inequality in America's Cities and Suburbs investigates how America's central and suburban cities have consistently been designed to meet the needs and desires of the American middle class. It explains how the growth of the middle class over the past two centuries has prompted the design and construction decisions made by public and private sectors that are increasingly geared toward the social and economic benefit of the middle class, at the expense of lower-income citizens. By taking an historical perspective, authorRiverstone-Newell brings to light the engineered evolution of our nation's urban elements and the resulting geographic and social divisions in society.


* Offers readers insight into the strong connection of the middle class to the city across history, from the colonial era to our modern-day living environments

* Examines how the growing importance and influence of the middle class on the politics and economic conditions of the city in past eras have given rise to the conditions of the poor and working class today

* Explains how ongoing racial, class, and social tensions within U.S. cities are directly related to tangible elements of the urban built environment

* Provides insights into hot-button topics such as segregation, racism, lack of political participation, and conspicuous consumption