Governing the metropolis

"This book is an effort to summarize many studies of politics and government in metropolitan areas. It rests upon the work of scores of scholars, actors, and observers. It is by no means complete. Metropolitanization has come upon us so rapidly that we are still struggling to understand it. Undoubtedly many complexities are omitted, many generalizations are debatable. I have followed the strategy of sacrificing detailed documentation to the demands of intellectual order. Thus the book is more than a photograph of big city government; it aims to be an analysis"--Preface.