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Article: How Urban Should Your City Be?(Politics&Opinions)
- Article from:
- The New York Observer (New York, NY)
- Article date:
- July 30, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 The New York Observer. 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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Byline: Alex Marshall
As the Mayor's race begins to heat up, perhaps it's a good time to prompt some discussion about not only crime, schools and jobs, but something both more conceptual and more concrete, such as what kind of city we want to be.
The words "urban" and "suburban" are irritatingly vague, and used as both pejorative and praise. To some, "urban" is still a code word for minorities and crime. To others, it means sophistication and a willingness to embrace rather than avoid, public rather than private, a street-based life. "Suburban" can mean narrow, isolating and sexless, or it can mean families, space and nature.
Some New Yorkers ...