The severity of the current recession in conjunction with the long and short run problems of cities has increased concern about the response of city economies to national cycles. Does the relative economic position' of cities worsen during recessions because central city economies are more cyclically sensitive than suburban economies or does the relative position of cities improve as recessions dampen the decentralization of employment and population? The purpose of this study is to explore these questions specifically as well as to address the broader issue of the effects of national economic cycles on city economies.

This report is part of the collection of scanned historical documents available to the public.