Case for Cities book, exploring themes of urban life and social justice, is published

What began as a year-long online series featuring national and local thought leaders, and was then expanded into an award-winning Soapbox series, is now a full-length book.

Routledge, a large, multinational publisher, will soon release The Case for Cities, which is based on the  year-long conversation series and the subsequent series of in-depth stories. The book distills key themes from the online series and interviews, all centered on the vital roles that America’s cities play in the social, cultural, and economic life of the country and its local communities.

Through a series of essays by urban activists, civic leaders, entrepreneurs, scholars, philanthropists, and others, the book examines the idea that cities, often maligned as crime-ridden and crowded, can actually hold the keys to a more sustainable, equitable, and healthier nation.

"The book explores the creative tension between two great values on which the vigor of cities depends – that they should be 'cities of choice,' as well as 'cities of justice,' " says Vikas Mehta, one of the book's editors, contributors, and a professor of urbanism at University of Cincinnati's School of Planning. 

The Case for Cities project was initiated in 2020, in the wake of the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the death at police hands in Minneapolis of George Floyd. Concerns about the highly contagious illness and the civil unrest that flared in many cities following Floyd’s death threatened to undo progress and revitalization efforts in many of the nation’s urban centers. This was especially true in some of its midsized cities, such as Cincinnati, which had gained population over the previous decade and is in the midst of a long-term effort to re-energize its urban core and many of its neighborhoods.

Concerned about these developments, a group of urban scholars at the UC's School of Planning came together to launch a public discussion about the importance of America’s cities and to explore the strategies and tactics that lead to revitalization.

The first phase of the work, beginning in the fall of 2020, involved an online series of presentations and conversations, which attracted an audience from around the world and was hosted by Cincinnati’s Mercantile Library.

A series of 20 articles along similar themes was then published in Soapbox beginning in July 2021.

The publication of the book provides a resource that students and practitioners in urban planning, urban design, real estate, architecture, and landscape architecture, as well as urban advocates and civic leaders, can make use of.

The Case for Cities will be available after July 31 and can be ordered at Routledge.com