Abstract:

The aging of New York City is reflected in the slowing of population growth in the central city to the point where declines may be expected, & in the slowing of population growth in the metropolitan area. What social & political effects may be expected from this population stability? Negative effects need not follow. Urban services need not decline; the proportion of dependent population may not grow; crime may not increase. It is the fixity of urban political boundaries & dependence of urban finance on the property tax--distinctive features of the U.S. urban system--that may lead to such consequences. Nor will the assimilative capacities of the aging city--its power to improve the economic & social circumstances of new immigrant groups--necessarily decline. Housing will be in greater supply, the burden of school support may decline, & a stable political system may permit better management of problems. It is possible for a city to grow old gracefully.