Introduction: The American City in 2017

David Dudley, executive editor at CityLab, opens the issue by taking a broad look at today's American city. He emphasizes the allure of authenticity—the "elusive realness" that is abundant in historic city centers—but goes on to note the accompanying challenges. The tensions between cities and suburbs, as well as within urban centers, erupt in debates about land use, zoning, and density. Preservation, Dudley concludes, "needs to be a tool for chipping away at … inequities."