Debate Roundup: Why No Urban Issues?

Strike two for Mitt and Barack. After passing on the opportunity to discuss any issues of relevance to cities and the 84 percent of Americans who live in and around them in the first debate, which was focused on domestic issues, yesterday's town hall style affair offered another ample opportunity to address such issues. However, as Bevilacqua notes, "for urbanists, once again the spectacle left something to be desired."

"You wouldn't know it from watching campaign coverage on cable news channels," says Bevilacqua, "but urban issues actually are playing a role in this election. Just this past spring brought us the mire that was the House transportation bill debate. And remember in August, when Republicans officially rejected Agenda 21? With one candidate threatening to defund not only Amtrak but the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the other all but silent on his urban achievements, a lot is at stake for U.S. cities this November."