Toward a New Urban Agenda

The poverty of the national debate on cities should come as no surprise. Over the past few decades, national "urban" policy has been reduced to a small set of micro initiatives and marginal investments. The buzz words—"empowerment zones," "community renewal"—come and go but the end effect remains the same. While some good is accomplished, few initiatives fundamentally change the growth (or decline) trajectory of older places. Bruce Katz is director of the Brookings Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy and a senior fellow in the Brookings Economic Studies program.