The landscape is being destroyed and money is being sucked out of the city. Paul but across the country. His incisive thinking on the economic and social links between cities and suburbs, and his tireless roaming of the country to talk about them, have helped Mr. Orfield emerge as one of the nation's most influential Smart Growth leaders. Mr. Orfield promotes the idea that problems like poverty, affordable housing, and inner city decline are best solved on a regional basis. Mr. Orfield's views are energizing community leaders in Cleveland, Detroit, San Francisco, and Seattle, where urban and older suburban communities are joining in increasingly influential coalitions to address housing, transportation, land use, and environmental issues.
All metropolitan regions function as unified economic units.
Still, many of the advantages enjoyed by new, upscale suburbs come at the expense of inner city neighborhoods and older suburbs. Communities on the outer rings of a metropolitan area that are flourishing can offer lower taxes, better public services, and shelter from crime and other social problems. But with Mr. Orfield's help, cities are identifying two new dimensions of the problem. First, many older suburbs are now joining cities as the big losers in this game. And upscale suburbs on the edge of metropolitan areas thrive, in large part because they receive the lion's share of public investment in new roads and sewers, which are paid for by everyone in the region.