Mapping Decline: St. Louis and the Fate of the American City (Politics and Culture in Modern America)

This book, though well-written and quite interesting, is as difficult and disturbing to read as your best friend's obituary, if, like me, you grew up in Saint Louis during the '40's and '50's, that city's last two decades of greatness - "First in booze, first in shoes, last in the American League" - before its decline into its current level of inconsequentiality. The population loss has been so great that, the last time that I was in my old neighborhood, the few houses still standing on my old block, though long-abandoned, still had the glass in their windows. The neighborhood is so deserted and empty that it lacks even vandals. I was surprised that I could see the Arch from in front of my former house. Then it struck me: there was not a single tree left standing anywhere, where once there was a virtual forest of London plane trees, spaced so tightly that nearly every house was shaded by its own tree.The book tells how now-clearly-stupid decisions, some made back in the 19th C., almost inevitably led to to the death of the modern city. The decision to stick with the steamboat and block easy access to the city by railroads, the decision to make the city into a political entity separate from St. Louis County, yet forcing it to maintain the usual political entities needed by a county, but of no consequence to a city, e.g. there is a Sheriff of St. Louis County and a Sheriff of the City of Saint Louis, in addition to the expected Chief of Police usual in cities.The book is centered around the history of a single house, located in my former neighborhood and once occupied by a family with whom I was personally acquainted.Anyone interested in the history of a city and the social, political, and real-estate manipulations that brought it to its metaphorical knees and then killed it will find this book unputdownable.

Mapping Decline does that and much more, following and explaining how St. Louis fell from the fourth largest U.S. city in 1910 to the 48th largest in 2000 and how the population fell from a high of over 800,000 in the 1940s to about 350,000 in 2000. Gordon's history rings true. His tale of racism, lack of leadership, suburban distrust of the city, political fragmentation, and mis-use of federal and state policies led policy makers across metroploitan St. Louis to ignore deteriorating residential neighborhoods to chase after high income residents and commercial development, assist developers rather than residents, and become more concerned with capturing taxes and jobs from neighboring municipalities than the good of the metropolitan area or its less-than-upper-middle class residents.I am a native of St. Louis and an urban economist. I knew much of what Gordon writes, but it was great to have it all in one place and nicely tied together. Except for the chapter on the ever-evolving post-WWII urban renewal programs, the book reads easily, though the message is painful. His maps are useful, though those not familar with St. Louis geography will probably want to have a road atlas or GIS website handy. The message is important to anyone interested in the modern American city.

I have read a lot about the housing/zoning/financing mess that stemmed from the policies and practices of the mid- 20th century, ones that were engineered to make sure that whites could keep blacks out, and about their lingering and awful consequences. This book is another excellent addition to that literature. Because it also sheds light on how and why racial tensions and distrust flourish in St. Louis County, it also provides a valuable frame, and considerable insight, into the anger and outrage that linger in and around Ferguson.

A great book about st louis!

Essential reading for all who seek to understand why STL—and many—American cities started a downward spiral even before 1899, and how that slow spiral sped up with the 'development' of physical planning after the 1926 Euclid v. Ambler decision opened the door for the "haves" to segregate them selves from the "have-nots". And make it difficult for the latter to "have".

If you want to know why race relations are so bad in St. Louis and around the country, this book is a great place to start. Anyone interested in making this country a better place should read this book and heed the lessons of our very recent past.

Awesome book. Backs the arguments with solid data. If you want to understand why St. Louis is so racially polorized, start here. It is a little too academic for my taste but it is readable for most folks.

As a St. Louos city resodent I wanted an honest, historical assessment of what went on and I rhink I found it in this book. I think that's what,reading is for.