Migration and urban development: a reappraisal of British and American long cycles

The challenging dilemmas facing modern cities have their most stubborn roots deep in past migrations, and this is especially true of America and Britain. Most of the population growth of con urbations such as Greater London, New York, Merseyside, Chicago and Philadelphia took place in the half century ending in 1913, the era of mass migrations; a study of this background is essential to an appreciation of the complex problems now besetting them. A strong impetus has been given to economic and demo graphic work in this area by public concern about population. pressure, the environment, and the assimilation of non-white migrants; and international movements of educated manpower have become a major object of inquiry in many countries.

Drawing on the results of up-to-date research, this book is a reappraisal of my earlier work, Migration and Economic Growth: a Study of Great Britain and the Atlantic Economy. It takes a new look at the long cycles in migration and urban development in the Atlantic economy, with particular reference to the way in which the process of urbanization in Britain and America interacted as a result of international movements of population and capital. Special attention is paid to strategic factors in American growth. arising from long cycles in immigration and urban development and in the internal migration of the black population.