American Notes: City Logic

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By what would seem to be a basic environmental logic, the nation's older and larger cities should be glad to have their population thin out somewhat. A degree of dispersion, if intelligently planned, might mitigate some of the urban discomforts born of congestion. But the logic of cities can be as odd as the impulse that prompts men to swarm together in the first place.

Preliminary 1970 census figures, for example, indicated last week that New York City has lost more than 500,000 residents since 1960—a trend shared by a number of Eastern and Midwest cities. Immediately Mayor John Lindsay contested the figures suggesting that his domain is down to a mere 7,200,000 or so residents. "My guess," he said testily, "is that we're seriously undercounted here."

His reasons, of course, are financial and political. A lower head count means less state and federal financial aid; many subsidy programs are based on population. A loss of citizenry can also lead to reduced representation in the state and national capitals. As poor and underskilled minorities have flocked into New York and other Northern cities, the middle class has retreated to the suburbs along with its tax and consumer dollars. Hence, even with a falling population, municipal expenses—and costly social problems—proliferate. As Lindsay's reaction suggests, cities are swept up in a vicious cycle: they require more people in order to take care of more people.