Slums, Ghettos, and Urban Marginality

Following the riots of 2005, many commentators were drawn to a comparison of Paris's "problem areas" with the U.S. urban ghetto. But are the poor suburbs of Paris truly akin to the Black ghetto of Chicago, the quintessential American city of sociological lore? Urban Outcasts makes a powerful case against the efficacy of the comparison. In so doing, however, the role of federal housing and highway policies is probably overstated relative to the War on Drugs, the South Side of Chicago may not be the epitome of the American ghetto that it perhaps once was, and the French banlieues may be more troubled by unemployment and social marginalization than this book makes them appear. Ghettos, then—like slums more generally—may not be all alike. But why they are not alike should be subject to considerable debate. This book provides a lively starting point.