American inner ring (first) suburbs are critical to the death and life of great American cities.

In this page, we will explore themes that are critical to understanding the underlying causes of conflict in American first suburbs:

Poverty and hunger

Convergence of school culture and street culture

Spread of HIV/AIDS

A selection from the forward of Halfway to Everywhere:  A portrait of America’s First-Tier Suburbs by William H. Hudnut III, 2003 (Washington D.C.:  ULI-the Urban Land Institute.)

At one end of the continuum lie older, first-tier suburbs built in the early or mid-part of the 20th century that are experiencing central city-like challenges – aging infrastructure, deteriorating schools and commercial corridors, and inadequate housing.  Like cities, these older communities and first suburbs require reinvestment and redevelopment.  In some cases, like the southern suburbs of Philadelphia, Seattle, Atlanta, and Chicago, they also require broader responses to the issues presented by populations that contain disproportionate numbers of working poor families and aging homeowners.  However, while some first suburbs are in decline, others are affluent and are doing quite well.  Many of these places, while small in size, are the true anchors for metropolitan stability.  p viii

The stakes are very high.  Older suburbs – because of their location, condition, and demographic composition – are uniquely positioned to exert a positive influence on future growth and development in metropolitan America.  Coalitions of these jurisdictions could find themselves wielding enormous influence – aligning on some issues (e.g., educational aid, economic development) with the central city, on other issues (e.g., land preservation/reclamation) with rapidly growing suburbs and rural areas.  p xi