FRED K. VIGMAN. Crisis o f the Cities. Pp. viii, 155. Washington, D. C.: Public Affairs Press, 1955. $3.25

• DOI: 10.1177/000271625630400145
• Author: Eugene Kulischer
• Published date: 01 March 1956
• Date: 01 March 1956
• Subject Matter: Articles

167
esting aspect of present world development
planning and the social hopes that lie in
is the race between China and India to-
planning. Part II discusses a number of
ward industrialization, one by totalitarian
large cities in the throes of crisis and, at
methods, the other by humane, democratic
the end, forecasts the future of American
policies. China may well win for she can
cities.
sacrifice a long generation through slave
This volume is long on problems but at
labor while building her roads, dams, mills,
spots is short on solutions. The writer has
and laboratories; her population remain-
a reporter’s healthy skepticism which holds
ing stationary or even decreasing. India
that the quality of the leaders and human
must move slowly on small capital and im-
material in our cities will not be able to
prove her health services. She risks seeing
handle their financial, social, and physical
all efforts at economic welfare swamped by
problems. Regarding political leaders he
a flood of new mouths to’ feed during the
says: &dquo;Noteworthy in the history of the
three generations her transition will take.
modern American city is the consistent
Her situation is not, however, hopeless.
character of the municipal politician. Ex-
Much depends on the success of the birth
cept for the temporary rise of reform
control movement. The motive does not
mayors and reform parties, the pattern re-
need to wait for the demographic transi-
mains essentially unchanged.&dquo; Apparently
tion following an improbable industrial
he would agree with Joseph F. Dinneen,
revolution. The reduction in fertility must
who wrote the biography of Mayor James
come before or at least concurrently with
Curley of Boston, that &dquo;the average city
the latter.
council is made up chiefly of men whose
FRANK H. HANKINS
minds cannot comprehend more than four
Smith College
digits and go blank beyond that.&dquo;
In his final chapter on &dquo;The Future of
FRED K. VIGMAN. Crisis o f the Cities. Pp....