Corinne Ramey

DMI in the New York Times

A letter by DMI's Andrea Batista Schlesinger was in yesterday's Times. The letter responds to the February 19th editorial titled "In Search of a Real Urban Policy." Andrea writes,

"Thank you for “In Search of a Real Urban Policy” (editorial, Feb. 19), on why presidential candidates must focus on urban policy.

Urban leaders have been shut out of the current White House, with tremendous consequences, from the housing crisis to the decay of vital infrastructure. Candidates can reverse this debacle by listening to the nation’s urban experts: the mayors of cities big and small.

They might learn that cities have long been America’s economic engine; that in recent years cities have been thrust to the front lines of homeland security and felt the brunt of the federal government’s failure to address immigration and health care; and that without federal investment in urban infrastructure, education and economies, the nation as a whole is crippled.

Candidates might also discover that cities across the country are leading the way not only on urban issues but also on solutions to overarching problems like global warming."

DMI has listened to many of these urban experts through MayorTV, a series of interviews with mayors around America done in collaboration with The Nation. The mayors spoke about issues such as infrastructure, housing, the environment, education, and the lack of attention by the presidential candidates to the urban agenda.

The letter following Andrea's is also worth a read; it discusses the importance of the arts and culture in city development. Leida Snow writes,

"And we forget, at our peril, that the health of our creative community is tied to the well-being of our cities: creative people seek to be with other creative people, but lack of affordable housing, problematic public education and congestion make it difficult for people to put down roots."

For more on urban policy, check out the Times editorial or MayorTV.com.

Corinne Ramey: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 10:11 AM, Feb 27, 2008 in Cities | MayorTV
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