October 6, 2000

Lessons of the Chicago and Los Angeles Models for Scholars Who Study Cities

To the Editor:

Every city is unique, but social science demands some general principles. Most points about Los Angeles in D.W. Miller's "The New Urban Studies" (August 18) are neither unique to L.A. nor clear in implications for cities generally. ...

The central urban-research paradigms have lost their power and demand revision. Consider just a few:

* Land use and land value, especially in Chicago. A density gradient is the core idea in much of urban economics,