This paper examines urban and regional planning and the urban impact of welfare programs in the United States as compared to the major Northern European capitalist countries. American differences are explained in terms of class structure, ideology, and political organization. (Author/EB)

Argues that urban policy should entail a unifying mix of economic, physical, and social initiatives that emphasize job creation and retention and social equity. The author explores a proposal for urban policy involving neighborhood-based planning, regulation of capital flight, local development funding, human capital formation, physical…