Quick: Rank the following cities from largest to smallest populations: Cleveland, OH; Kansas City, MO; Mesa, AZ; and Oakland, CA. Which did you list first? Many people will be surprised to learn that Mesa is not only bigger than the other three cities on this list, but bigger than Miami, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh.
And that, in essence, is the message of this book by urban planners Robert Lang and Jennifer LeFurgy: some fast-growing suburbs are now bigger than many central cities. But really, when you think about the fact that the suburbs have been growing faster than central cities for nearly 60 years, is that so surprising?
