Survival of the City

Edward Glaeser and David Cutler's analysis of cities in the COVID era — arguing that cities' vulnerabilities are remediable and that urban density remains humanity's most powerful tool for prosperity.

The pro-city case after COVID: when the pandemic seemed to challenge the case for urban density, Glaeser and Cutler argued that cities' vulnerability to contagion is a historical constant that has been managed through public health infrastructure investment — not a reason to abandon density. The book makes the case that cities remain essential for innovation, equality of opportunity, and human flourishing, and that the appropriate response to COVID is better urban public health, not less urbanization.