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Article: THE NEW GEOGRAPHY: How the Digital Revolution is Reshaping the American Landscape.(Review)
- Article from:
- The Washington Monthly
- Article date:
- April 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Washington Monthly Company. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE NEW GEOGRAPHY: How the Digital Revolution is Reshaping the American Landscape
IN 1956, ECONOMIST CHARLES Tiebout published a short article introducing the notion of "the consumer-voter," a person who chooses where to live based on local government services and the taxes levied to pay for them. His idea was powerful and, as the suburban era continued its crescendo, it applied to more and more Americans. People were shopping for entirely new communities, not just nicer apartments.
And, particularly if they were white, people had a lot of choices. Cities in the 1950s were morphing into large metropolitan areas. Cheap mortgages and new highways allowed ...