Lack of Political Leadership on Urban Issues Harms U.S. Cities

"'I can't think of one U.S. national politician who mentions cities or urban environment in any meaningful way,' noted Urban Land Institute President Richard Rosan. 'Not one of them is out there talking seriously about critical issues of transportation and housing, metropolitanwide planning, viability of communities — all ways that national government, even without dictating quite the way London does, could at least encourage a more secure and livable urban future.'

"...Americans seem quite unaware of infrastructure as a true place-maker, notes the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program's Alan Berube. The English, and many Asian countries, are building massive new systems and communities, linked carefully to transportation, employment centers and amenities — new developments, says Berube, [are] 'not just plopped 30 miles outside with roads and a Target store.'"