Book Review By Eugene T. Lowe
November 17, 2003

When mayors gathered in New Orleans in 1999 for The U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting, they received HUD's "The State of the Cities", an annual report that was released every year at the mayors' June Meeting during the Clinton presidency. Former Indianapolis Mayor William H. Hudnut III, senior resident fellow who holds the Urban Land Institute/Joseph C. Canizaro Chair for Public Policy at the Urban Land Institute, read the HUD report that year and focused on one of the findings: older suburbs experiencing problems once associated only with urban areas. Hudnut decided to take a closer look at older suburbs and the result of that investigation is his new book, Halfway to Everywhere.

These older suburbs, now commonly referred to as first-tier suburbs, have not received the benefits of the comeback cities of the urban renaissance, nor have they experienced the growth of the outlying areas. They are instead frequently characterized by aging population, aging housing stock, aging infrastructure, and are in need of reinvestment. Hudnut says "these locales need to be placed on policy and political radar screens, where currently they are not."

With an insightful historical analysis, Hudnut traces the development of these first-tier suburbs, which "lie close to a central city's border." Some like Chevy Chase, Maryland, Radburn, New Jersey, and Greendale, Wisconsin predate World War II. After the war, such first-tier suburbs as Levittown, New York (well known for providing affordable homes to returning soldiers and their families) and Park Forest, Illinois were developed.

Hudnut says that there have been no new first-tier suburbs since the 1970s, as second and third tier suburbs have developed in what the author calls "the ever-widening gyre." And this is the problem. Hudnut says because the term "suburb" is used in a general sense, there is the belief that all suburbs are the same and have the same challenges. Hence, the plight of the first-tier suburbs is simply not recognized.

The author presents his insights and presents what he believes is a more accurate picture of first-tier suburbs. He says, "Generalizations about the first tier are precarious." Hudnut cautions the reader that first-tier suburbs are complex systems and cannot be put into a simple classification. He says, though, "first-tier communities are metropolitan pivot points." That is, first-tier suburbs exist in regions and are not isolated entities, which means, of course, that these communities will have impact on second and third-tier suburbs. Hudnut emphasizes that first-tier suburbs are "under tremendous stress." They are undergoing such trends as re'segregation, shrinking tax bases, deteriorating infrastructure, faltering commercial outlets, smaller households and income, declining resources, and loss of jobs.

But Hudnut says there is hope. One advantage of first-tier suburbs is their strategic locations. They are, in fact, "halfway to everywhere." They are convenient and accessible and Hudnut believes that first-tier suburbs can build on their locations. Then, there is the resiliency and determination of spirit, which Hudnut found in the mayors and other officials he came in contact with in writing the book. Hudnut says that first-tier suburbs can indeed be "reborn."

This book is highly recommended to mayors. Hudnut, a former mayor himself, closely examines the outstanding work being done by mayors in first-tier suburbs to revive and build their communities.

Halfway to Everywhere is available form ULI — the Urban Land Institute, 2003, ISBN: 0-87420-915-3, $34.95 (hardback); ISBN: 0-87420-901-3, $18.95 (paperback). The address of the Urban Land Institute is 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W. Suite 500 West, Washington, D.C. 20007-5201. Phone: 202-24-7000. Fax: 202-624-7140. Website: http://www.uli.org