When America Became Suburban

The core of this study by Beauregard, an author and Columbia University professor, is that the postwar emigration of wealthier populations from the cities led to thriving suburban centers while leaving urban populations poor and isolated. Spurred by the decreasing success of urban industrial centers, the suburban migration gave rise to a national mentality fueled by upward economic mobility and a corresponding lifestyle shift. Once he presents the generalized, easy-to-understand theory that declining cities mean big suburbs, Beauregard fills the rest of the book-tracking suburban growth from 1945 to the mid '70s-restating that theory with varying levels of verbosity. Many of the observations here are regurgitated, redundant or patently obvious: ""With rare exceptions, cities add residents when their economies are expanding. An expanding economy, moreover, most often means that jobs are plentiful, incomes are rising and tax bases are growing."" The book's subject is a worthy one, but this volume doesn't shed enough new light to make it worthwhile. Illustrations: 7 halftones, 8 line art, 5 tables.