Certainly, during the Depression, these were not race-based sets of programs, as some people think now. In the 1960s, there had been a generation of relative prosperity. But pretty much since the 1970s, family income has remained stagnant. There are a lot of new millionaires, but that doesn't reflect the daily reality of the family in the United States. In order to maintain the level of material well-being, the quality of life has diminished.
People are less likely to think they have enough left over to help the poor.
Reisch says he hopes American society will eventually re-assess the values of cities and start to break down political and racial boundaries between suburbs and cities. They serve to divide people and hinder integration of populations, of approaches to community problem solving. Reisch finds Philadelphia an interesting laboratory in this regard. The native New Yorker has lived in Baltimore, Washington and San Francisco as well, which he finds as more adaptable urban areas. The racial and class divisions of the city are very sharp, both within the city and between the city and suburbs.