14. The Golden Age of American Cities—and What's Really Behind It

In this article Zachary Karabell, the president of River Twice Research, analyzes the urban revival in the United States. He begins his essay by commenting on the mayoral election in New York and the "mudslinging" surrounding the campaigns. The major fear these candidates are playing with is the economic success of New York, which has created the debate on whether or not the leading candidate, Blasio, can support the state. The author continues by claiming that this fear is unfounded and reflects an ignorance towards what truly has been going on in America. He challenges their beliefs by stating that the change which has occurred in the major cities of the U.S. is due to the work of the cities' citizens and factories, rather than their mayors. Even though the crime rates has undoubtedly fallen due to mayors instituting stronger police forces, the real economic success in these cities is due to the success at Wall Street and the flourishing industries. Karabell gives evidence from criminologists that questions the affect of the change in policing policies and its affect on overall crime rates. The author proposes that migration of the middle and professional classes to urban cities has caused the boom in urban cities. These groups which had previously run from the cities in the 1960s and 70s brought new industries and higher income with their return. He continues by showing the effects of this immigration, which brought a new class of immigrants the "knowledgeable class", while also brought about cultural changes. He ends his article by examining the situation in New York and the role of the citizens in the prosperity of the cities.      

In his article Karabell gives a proficient analysis of the sudden prosperity in cities across America, where he does a good job challenging popular belief. His article is straight forward, there is no hesitation towards challenging popular belief. His article demonstrates some bias, yet he is able to back-up his claims with well thought out arguments and with well established evidence. Karabell uses evidence from criminologists to support his evidence although not all of his claims are backed-up by credible sources. The way he utilizes his evidence, nevertheless, is convincing due both to his authoritative tone and the fluidity of his article. His article follows a set structure and shows evidence from both cities which have flourished, such as New York, and other which have continuously struggled. By showing both sides to his argument he is able to compare and contrast the causes to the boom in the economy and safety of some cities. The image used in the article is effective to some degree, showing the reader one of the candidates in the run for the position of mayor. For the most part, his article is effective and can be easily followed by the audience, yet it does not explain much of the controversy in New York. This makes it harder for the audience which is outside of New York to understand the debate. The targeted audience of this article are mostly people who live in urban American cities, where the people are directly affected by the election and economic boom. His article uses a cause and effect organization, arguing that the cause for the change in urban cities is due to the contribution of the people.    
   
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/10/the-golden-age-of-american-cities-and-whats-really-behind-it/280875/