American Urban Politics in a Global Age

Bringing together a selection of readings that represent some of the most important trends and topics in urban scholarship today, American Urban Politics in a Global Age provides historical context and contemporary commentaries on the economy, politics, culture, and identity of American cities. The eighth edition of this well-rounded and popular urban politics reader maintains the wide variety of reading selections it is known for, as well as many “classics,” while adapting to current events and developments in urban politics, and engaging cities in a post-pandemic world. All-new readings and important editorial commentary include:

Recent political debates about policing, race, and ethnicity in the urban environment
The impact of climate change on cities, and their roles in mitigating it, as well as preparing for it
A discussion of gender politics in post-Trump American cities
A reflection on the increasing importance of private players in city- and metro-politics, from implications for governance, to the growing corporate aspect of smart city initiatives, designed to help urban governments provide important services across cities and metropolitan regions; and
An examination of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impact on cities, from the initial, devastating outbreak in New York City in March 2020, to recurring shutdowns, life, urban development, and social polarization post-COVID

American Urban Politics in a Global Age remains an approachable scholarly resource for undergraduate and graduate classrooms, as well as a general, wide-ranging scholarly overview of the most important aspects of the field for researchers. It may be taught alongside City Politics: Cities and Suburbs in 21st Century America.

Author Biography

Annika Marlen Hinze is an Associate Professor of Political Science and the Director of Urban Studies at Fordham University, USA. Her research and teaching focus on urban politics, identity politics, immigration, qualitative and mixed methods research, and gender politics in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Turkey.

James M. Smith is an Associate Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Master of Public Affairs program at Indiana University South Bend, USA. His research focuses on urban governance and institutions in U.S. cities, and he teaches courses in the Political Science Department focused on American political institutions, and in the Master of Public Affairs program on urban planning and public policy.