Edward Glaeser: belief

Transcript context

…Well, I think it’s better for states and cities if they have two political parties and the two parties compete no matter what your particular views may be. So if cities don’t give us this, isn’t that another problem with cities? And if they keep people out, maybe that’s not a terrible thing. I believe very strongly that some form of competition — That’s a major theme in this book, that in fact, cities are more vulnerable than ever, even if face-to-face learning comes back. It’s never been easier for people to leave the city. Treating your rich, treating your businesses like they’re a piggy bank is a terrible mistake. I’m a traditional East Coast Republican, all right, Tyler? I believe that there should be Republicans in cities, and in fact, I often have been one. I think this is a good thing to have, but I’ll settle for a robust pragmatic wing of the Democratic Party debating against a robust progressive wing of the Democratic Party. That’s partially what the book is arguing for — that city governments really need to be pragmatic because cities are vulnerable. Unless they make sure that they’re actually providing decent schools and safe streets, and doing so in a reasonable, cost-effective way, people will just run away. And unlike you, I don’t believe that’s a good thing because I think that when our geographic movements are determined by political dysfunction instead of economic reality, that’s bad. Putting aside COVID policy, which of course is important, what else can we do to make our cities healthier?…

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