WILL SEPTEMBER 11 BRING US TOGETHER OR PUSH US APART? THE WAR ON TERROR AND METROPOLITAN STABILITY

The events of September 11 and the subsequent war on terror will not lessen the desirability of cities as places to live, work, and play. In fact, they may make city real estate and first ring suburbs more attractive and slow the rate of suburban sprawl, just as these terrible events deepened the recession and exposed the vulnerability of many suburban real estate investments. Furthermore, the terrorist attacks have revealed the economic insecurity inherent in a transportation system that is dependent upon foreign oil, and underscored the need to explore alternatives, which perforce will encourage a return to urban living, and the lessened auto reliance that it implies.