To an extent, America is already headed toward a metropolis-first arrangement. Unfortunately, American policy making remains wedded to an antiquated political structure of 50 distinct states. Advanced economies in Western Europe and Asia are reorienting themselves around robust urban clusters of advanced industry. But it’s not just a matter of how much is spent on catching up, but how and where it is spent. It’s no secret that the country has fallen behind on infrastructure spending. The problem is, the political system hasn’t caught up.Īmerica faces a two-part problem. But increasingly, that’s all they drive - socially and economically, America is reorganizing itself around regional infrastructure lines and metropolitan clusters that ignore state and even national borders.
THESE days, in the thick of the American presidential primaries, it’s easy to see how the 50 states continue to drive the political system.
