Deck 11: Cities and Change

Question 1

According to the text as of today there is __________ among urban scholars about the future of the city.

A) still major dispute
B)general optimistic consensus
C)general pessimistic consensus
D)overall agreement

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to the text, urban writers such as Joel Kotkin say

A)urban revival is finally taking place
B) cities are becoming so much better with urban renovation projects
C)cities have major problems and talk of "urban revival" is mostly hype
D)urban residents are occasionally given a new toy (federal programs) to play with in their "city sandbox", but these "toys" are never enough to prevent them from being "trapped" in the city

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Sternlieb suggested that __________.

A)the term "Urban Renaissance" aptly describes the current status of cities
B)older cities have lost their economic viability
C)U.S. cities are experiencing a resurrection
D)the future of cities lies in gentrification

Answer 3

B

Question 4

According to the text, for certain urban scholars like Joel Kotkin and George Sternlieb, the future of the central city is one of __________ .

A)urban decline
B)urban restructuring
C)urban renaissance
D)urban revival

Question 5

According to the text, U.S. cities for the last twenty-five years have been experiencing __________.

A)urban crisis
B)urban restructuring
C)further urban decline
D)urban revival

Question 6

Which of the following did Sternlieb use as an example of a city that had lost its economic function?

A)Cleveland
B) New York
C)Newark
D)Los Angeles

Question 7

By the mid 1990s, the National League of Cities was reporting that __________.

A)cities were in their worst shape ever in U.S. history
B)most large U.S. cities could expect to face bankruptcy by the year 2010
C)it was difficult to tell whether or not cities in the U.S. were in fiscal trouble
D)cities in the U.S. were in the most solvent fiscal shape in years

Question 8

Political economy sociologists argue that __________.

A)urban change is due to impersonal forces in the larger society
B)"urban problems occur in a vacuum", meaning that it is not necessary to look beyond the city to understand urban conditions
C)city problems should be examined within the political, historical and economic system of which they are a part
D)Marxist ideas have no place in the study of urban conditions

Question 9

One scholar who took a political economy perspective, Manuel Castells, has argued that __________.

A)the crisis of the city is not real and is just political hype put forth by the media
B)urban problems like decay, insolvency and white flight are inevitable and necessary consequences of the capitalistic economic system
C)Marxist theories do not explain contemporary urban problems
D)U.S. cities are in better shape than they have been for many years

Question 10

CBDs in most cities of today __________.

A)are in the midst of a building boom
B)are the location of choice for insurance, financial and legal services
C)hold the government administrative offices
D)all of the above

Question 11

Neo-Marxists analyze gentrification as __________.

A)the last means of salvaging the inner cities
B)an effort to reduce the birth rate
C)a conscious product of private interest groups' control of the real estate market
D)a federally-funded program to exert more government control over housing

Question 12

Which of the following statements is the most accurate?

A)entry level jobs have consistently been, and continue to be, readily available in central city locations
B)minority populations are sharply decreasing in central cities
C)most employment in central cities is blue collar
D)Central Business Districts have managed to hold on to business and government administrative offices

Question 13

Those least likely to be employed in CBDs are __________.

A)government employees
B) lawyers
C)white-collar workers
D)blue-collar workers

Question 14

The city that has been most successful in bringing new residents into the downtown is

A)New York
B)Los Angeles
C)Chicago
D)Vancouver

Question 15

One area of success that cities (especially mid-sized cities) have managed to achieve in the last decade has been __________.

A)the attraction of conventions and trade meetings through the construction of cultural centers, hotels and other facilities
B)the rejuvenation of city infrastructures-roads, water services and the like
C)an expansion and improvement of city services and programs for the poor
D)convincing the federal government to spend a greater share of the tax dollar on cities and municipalities

Question 16

According to the mismatch hypothesis, __________.

A)central cities are creating more blue-collar jobs than there are people to fill them
B)a mismatch exists between some central city residents' job skills and the type of information-age jobs being created in the city
C)central cities are creating more entry-level jobs than there are people available to fill them
D)federal funding to U.S. cities does not match the taxes collected from them

Question 17

According to the text the federal government____________________.

A)is increasing its investment in cities
B)is recommitting to urban anti-poverty programs4
C)hasn't changed its urban policies in the last 50 years
D)has largely left municipalities to manage on their own

Question 18

Municipal financial solvency is dependent upon __________.

A)direct and indirect federal aid
B)a decrease in the defense spending
C)a large national subsidy
D)local tax levels

Question 19

In times of declining federal aid, cities have __________.

A)continued fully funding programs from their own revenues to fight poverty and solve social problems
B)attempted to save money by taking public control over the provision of certain city services, like setting up public offices in charge of towing abandoned vehicles
C)tried to make up the difference by selling off city property
D)focused on the day-to-day delivery of core services

Question 20

A major reason for the improved fiscal picture for cities is __________.

A)improved responsibility of the private sector
B)the lower population in cities resulting in reduced expenditures
C)cutting services and costs
D)greater financial management by consulting firms

Question 21

According to the text, CBDs (and downtown shopping centers) are now experiencing __________.

A)a sharp increase in retail sales in absolute terms
B)an increase in sales, but only as a percentage of metropolitan area sales
C)solid retail activity
D)dominance over suburban shopping malls

Question 22

Today a serious problem for many cities is __________.

A)a fast-growing tax base
B)privatization of city services
C)the overly large municipal work force
D)infrastructure deterioration

Question 23

According to the text, "city administrators are concerned that cities are being stuck with higher tax burdens and unfunded state and federal mandates while their tax bases shrink". What percent of each tax dollar actually goes to local governments?

A)14
B)25
C)33
D)41

Question 24

A serious urban problem that 21^st century that cities must cope with is __________.

A)infrastructure deterioration
B)cities defaulting
C)the psychological health of the city
D)neighborhood revival

Question 25

North American cities are seeing the number of downtown residents

A)increase
B)decrease
C)remain the same
D)no data is available

Question 26

According to the text, Harlem began to emerge from decades of decay and social deterioration in the __________.

A)1950s
B)1960s
C)1970s
D)1990s

Question 27

According to the text, one of the main reasons why Harlem succeeded in reversing the decades-long decline of social and physical decay was that __________.

A)millions of dollars of federal support were lavished upon the neighborhood
B)New York City razed all the poorly constructed buildings and completely rebuilt the neighborhood
C)police began an extensive, and effective, precinct-based assault on both violent and quality-of-life crime
D)ex-President Bill Clinton moved his office and staff into new business space in Harlem

Question 28

According to the text, some older residents of Harlem are uneasy about the dramatic improvements that have occurred in their community. Why is this so?

A)Revitalization is bringing more affluent whites into a neighborhood that was once solidly black.
B)They realize that all these changes are short-lived and that as soon as the federal funds are pulled out, Harlem will resume its decline.
C)They are concerned about the moral impact of ex-President Clinton's moving into the community.
D)They are disturbed over the razing of old poorly constructed brownstone buildings.

Question 29

Which of the following programs of the 1950s and 1960s was designed to rebuild cities' inner cores to encourage middle-class residency?

A)urban renewal
B)empowerment zones
C)urban redesign
D)urban rentification

Question 30

According to the text, areas undergoing gentrification are often found ________.

A)close to the core of the city, near the CBD
B)in the older suburbs
C)in the outer zone of middle-class homes
D)near the city's edge

Question 31

The Burgess model __________.

A)explains the phenomenon of "gentrification"
B)posits that inner central-city, residential properties are vacated for commercial use
C)explains neighborhood revival in areas of substantial residences of historic or architectural merit
D)posits that middle-class movement is ultimately to older central-city neighborhoods

Question 32

According to the text, the gentrification movement has __________.

A)recycled neighborhoods from a period of decay
B)rebuilt urban renewal areas
C)renovated housing projects through urban grant programs
D)restored older suburbs with federal monies

Question 33

Gentrification is important because __________.

A)it is the first government program to upgrade city housing
B)it encourages inner suburb development
C)it is reversing long-term patterns
D)it confirms the Burgess model

Question 34

Gentrification as a movement __________.

A)began in the early 1930s
B)has been, and remains today, totally free of government involvement
C)has affected most of the neighborhoods in central cities
D)is the reverse of the original Burgess model

Question 35

Research by Spain indicates that the best predictor of a new resident choosing a central city location is __________.

A)political involvement
B)marital status
C)education
D)existing residence in the central city

Question 36

Inner city neighborhoods hold a disproportionate appeal to __________.

A)older families
B)the aged
C)non-traditional households
D)traditional households

Question 37

Urban gentrification has been funded primarily by __________.

A)federal agencies
B)municipal governments
C)state governments
D)the private sector

Question 38

Urban renovators are frequently __________.

A)disillusioned suburbanites returning to the city
B)urbanites moving from one area of the city to another
C)blue-collar workers anxious to be near their places of employment
D)the urban poor who have nowhere else to go

Question 39

Persons moving into gentrifying areas tend to be __________.

A)upper-class suburbanites
B)millennials
C)black middle-class adults
D)elderly adults

Question 40

Some of the demographic variables influencing gentrification include all except __________.

A)declining fertility rates
B)nontraditional living arrangements
C)the rising number of dual wage-earner families
D)the lowered age of the first marriage

Question 41

One of the liabilities of central city housing is __________.

A)poor design and construction features of the homes
B)the noise from late night bars, restaurants and theaters
C)the lower quality of most city schools
D)the distance from grocery stores, retail shopping and amenities

Question 42

Which, according to the text, is one of the factors that explain the surge of urban revitalization and gentrification?

A)Today, economic factors, including commuting costs, the costs of heating, cooling and financing a home, may be cheaper in the central city.
B)Demographically, there has been an increase in traditional, two-parent families with children, which is more ideally suited to inner city living.
C)Improvements in the urban infrastructure (water, sewer, streets, etc.) have encouraged more families to move back to cities.
D)High quality of inner city schools and educational programs has stimulated movement back into the cities.

Question 43

The name for the process in which older residents are forced to move out during gentrification is __________.

A)displacement
B)succession
C)revitalization
D)ecological processing

Question 44

Those being moved from their homes due to urban regeneration __________.

A)are leaving stable, secure areas for less stable neighborhoods
B)tend to have had high residential mobility prior to renewal activity
C)usually move to suburban areas
D)are being forced to leave areas that would have stabilized naturally if revitalization had not taken place

Question 45

Is it possible for cities to provide decent housing for low-income, working class residents?

A)The text concludes that it is not possible to do so under any circumstances.
B)The text concludes that it is possible, but only for a short period of time. Neighborhoods inevitably degenerate into social and physical decay.
C)The text concludes that there is no definite answer to this question, at this time, because data on such programs is lacking.
D)The text concludes that, indeed, it is possible with impressive levels of success.

Question 46

The city of New York since the 1990s has __________ new working-class and low-income housing units.

A)largely abandoned building
B)successfully built and rehabilitated over 1,000
C)used largely federal programs and monies to build
D)not started

Question 47

New York City's approach to replacing abandoned buildings with new working-class and low-income housing __________.

A)involved one, single government program
B)was financed solely with public funds
C)was financed totally with private funds
D)involved a number of different approaches

Question 48

Which of the following proved to be most successful in New York City's program to revitalize working class and lower-income housing?

A)rehabilitation done by locally-run community action groups
B)private rehabilitation with government subsidies
C)private rehabilitation without government subsidies
D)rehabilitation done by church and non-profit community groups.

Question 49

According to the text, there is dispute among urban scholars about the future of the city in the U.S.

Question 50

Generally urban scholars, like Joel Klotkin, hold optimistic views about the future of U.S. cities.

Question 51

As recently as 1992, violence in South-Central Los Angeles resulted in 58 deaths, 5,600 businesses suffering losses, and approximately 15,000 arrests.

Question 52

Urban crime rates stayed steady throughout the 1990s.

Question 53

According to the text, CBDs have been successful in retaining business and government functions and are experiencing a boom in construction for office space.

Question 54

According to Manuel Castells' arguments, the fiscal crisis of cities results from excessive services, public-service jobs and welfare.

Question 55

Today U.S. cities are in the most solvent financial shape that they had been in for many years.

Question 56

Political economy sociologists argue that city problems must be examined within the context of the political, historical and economic systems of which they are a part.

Question 57

Washington,D.C., which was effectively bankrupt in 1995, was on a sound economic footing in 2010 and showing clear signs of both physical and social improvement.

Question 58

Political economists analyze gentrification as a result of the decision of individual homebuyers.

Question 59

Political economists analyze gentrification as a conscious product of land-based interest groups.

Question 60

During the 21^st century, CBDs have been successful in retaining business and government administrative offices.

Question 61

The downtowns of most large cities have experienced a new boom in high rise construction for office space.

Question 62

Manhattan is one of the few CBDs in the U.S. that did not experience a building boom in the 1990s.

Question 63

Despite the building boom experienced by CBDs central city dominance over suburban malls in retail activity is not expected to return.

Question 64

The solvency of most cities is due to federal assistance programs geared up to "save the cities".

Question 65

Vancouver is the North American city most successful in bringing residents downtown to live.

Question 66

During the Reagan-Bush years (1980-1992) federal aid to cities was increased over earlier levels.

Question 67

Cities have been lowering government costs by privatizing city services.

Question 68

With the decline of federal assistance, U.S. cities have cut the day-to-day delivery of core services and have focused on programs to fight poverty and solve social problems.

Question 69

According to the text, the strong U.S. economy has played a major role in municipal financial solvency.

Question 70

According to the text, politicians place high priority on fixing infrastructure problems as soon as they occur.

Question 71

For two decades the most serious physical deterioration problem for cities has been the deterioration of water and sewage systems.

Question 72

According to the text, overall, the state of U.S. cities is fiscally and psychologically less healthy than it was 15 years ago.

Question 73

Two cities identified by the text as having limited prospects for improvement in the near future are Camden, NJ and Gary, IN.

Question 74

Chicago has been the most effective North American city in increasing downtown housing.

Question 75

The gentrification movement is taking place primarily in newer built neighborhoods.

Question 76

The urban renewal programs of the 1950sthrough the 1970s aimed at removing blight to establish safe, affordable housing for the poor and working classes.

Question 77

An example of a successfully gentrifying neighborhood is Harlem, in New York City.

Question 78

Older residents of Harlem have universally welcomed the changes that have revitalized their community.

Question 79

According to the text, the improvements occurring in Harlem partially can be traced to an intense police effort to end both violent and quality-of-life crime.

Question 80

Despite revitalization in Harlem, the community remains intensely segregated.