1. Why this Matters: The World is Changing -- 2. Canada and the United States: Similar Yet Different -- 3. Livability and Sustainability in North American Cities: A Tale of Two Countries -- 4. Organizing Government: Powers, Boundaries, and Governance Systems -- 5. Controlling the Use of Land: Planning Policies and Practices -- 6. Increasing Connectivity: Transportation Policies and Practices -- 7. Maintaining Vibrant, Diverse Central Cities: Social Policies and Practices -- 8. Getting the Price Signals Right: Housing Subsidies, Energy Taxes, and Infrastructure Funding.

In this book, urban experts Tomalty and Mallach show how Canada, a country similar to the US in many respects, has fostered healthier urban centers and more energy‑ and resource‑efficient suburban growth. They call for a rethinking of US public policies across those areas and look closely at what may be achievable at federal, state, and local levels in light of both the constraints and opportunities inherent in today’s political systems and economic realities. As demographic shifts change housing markets and climate change ushers in new ways of looking at settlement patterns, pressure for change in urban policy is growing. More and more policy makers are raising questions about the soundness of policies that squander our investment in urban housing, built environment, and infrastructure while continuing to support expansion of sprawling, auto‑dependent development. Changing these policies is the central challenge facing US cities and metro regions, and those who manage them or plan their future.