So...we're going to redefine "urban...
Now President Obama has created the Office of Urban Affairs, which seeks to redefine the word "urban."
But keep using it the same way.
In his most definitive statements laying out the office's work, Carrión said in an interview that he hopes to spark a national conversation about urban needs. He said he plans to bring agencies together to change urban growth patterns and foster opportunity, reduce sprawl, and jump-start the economy.
That usually works. Not.
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A Rose By Any Other Name...
Mr. Carrion's question arises and garners legitimacy because of the over-usage of the term "urban" in mass popular culture and mass media-based marketing campaigns. In a sense, the Administration is trying to avoid having the word "urban" being seen as a synonym for blacks and browns, i.e., African Americans and Hispanics. Mr. Carrion may argue that because of changes in urban growth patterns and suburban sprawl etc. our sense of where cities end and the suburbs begin has been elasticized to the point where clear lines of demarcation are no longer easy to discern. He may be right but these problems are somewhat tangential to the core issues and problems that many of our cities are facing.