The Decline of Urban Politics: Political Theory and The Crisis of the Local State

by Mark Gottdiener

The Decline of Urban Politics is a lucidly written discussion of the transformation in local politics in the US since the 1950s. Gottdiener argues that local politics has become increasingly concerned with managing the quality of local life. This process has significant implications both for the management of cities and for citizen participation. He also evaluates political theories currently used in urban politics. The conclusions force us to re-evaluate our conventional understanding of local political processes and political theory.

300 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Mark Gottdiener is a professor of sociology at University at Buffalo, specializing in urban sociology. The first person in the Anglophone world to write an extended analysis of Henri Lefebvre, including comparing his work to traditional urban geography and sociology as well as the Marxist Manuel Castells.