Justice
How Do Mayors Think About Inequality?
About half of U.S. mayors say they want to combat inequality, but they are less sure about redistribution.
As bad as inequality is across the United States as a whole, it is even worse in our major cities. The inequality of America’s metro areas mirrors that of the some of the most unequal nations unearth: New York’s is comparable to Swaziland, Los Angeles’ similar to the Dominican Republic, Chicago’s comparable to El Salvador, and San Francisco's similar to Madagascar. America’s largest, densest, most affluent, and most liberal-leaning cities are, in fact, the places where inequality is the highest.
Bill de Blasio has put addressing inequality and New York’s tale of two cities at the center of his administration. But what are other mayors across the nation doing to address the growing gap between rich and poor?