Rogers, J. Cities: The Vital Core. Vol. 280, The Nation, 2005, pp. 20-22.
From The Nation, June 20, 2005.
Cities are the most productive and most sustainable centers of the US economy, the most vital and generous centers of our culture and, potentially, the most democratic and forward-looking of our many units of government. They have been neglected in terms of their impact on the economy (the metropolitan area constitutes about 80% of the US population), in their power to pioneer equality (the metro core is where different races coincide, where upper and middle classes live, where most research and education institution are located, where new commerce and innovation begins), in that their sheer size and weight make metro regions a point of leverage in the national economy (here begins “high road” policies).