On Monday we discussed the development of North American Cities, primarily in terms of major economic shifts from the pre-industrial (colonial, trade) city to the industrial (factory, production) city to the post-industrial (service) city.  We focused on significant shaping forces like immigration, industrialization, technological advances, competition between cities, and how these have formed the foundation for the social and economic inequalities that we see today.

We also discussed several themes and points from your reading responses, including

• How “freedom” has remained a central aspect of the so-called “American Dream” but that the meaning of freedom has changed somewhat.. As Patrick said in his reading response, “Looking at many of the first colonists, the American dream originally focused on freedom: freedom of religion, freedom of speech and the freedom to conduct business and pursue a better life,” which was reflected in the shape of the colonial city.  Today, however, the American dream is much more associated with individual freedom and success, as reflected in the shape of the service city and its contemporary housing programs and ideologies that emphasize individual responsibility, ownership, etc.  Meanwhile, Black freedom and the legacies of slavery and racial discrimination remain hot topics.  Most recently there has been a lot of discussion around reparations, given that the UN Panel Suggests Slavery Reparations in the U.S., Ta-Nehisi’s Case for Reparations, and why Ta-Nehisi Coates is Voting for Bernie Sanders Despite the Senator’s Opposition to Reparations.
• That North American cities differ from other, i.e. European, cities, in the extent to which immigration and significant racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity have been present from the start (as well as anti-immigrant bias, as Mohomad pointed out).  In this way, as Sonia noted that globalization was going on even then, although it is often associated with more recent decades.  Check out this animation of globalization: The Atlantic Slave Trade in 2 Minutes. 
• And of course, domestic migration has significantly shaped North American cities as well.  Check out this article with analysis and visualizations of the largest internal movement of any group in U.S. History: The Great Migration: The African American Exodus from the South.
• The deep roots of the challenge to plan and fund major public infrastructure projects in and between cities (as noted by Edwin) given the system of Federalism in the U.S. (as opposed to cities like Toronto, which receives much more investment from the Canadian national government, as pointed out by Adrian); and also due to the persistence of anti-urban sentiments in the U.S (as noted by Nick). This topic (and a contemporary example) is the explored in a recent article in the NY Times: What Happened to the Great Urban Design Projects?
• Relatedly, the long history of corruption in city government, especially when cities were growing fast.  As Ashley said, “city officials became corrupt with bribes and dictatorial political figures began to take control of the city governments. The citizens were outraged and pushed for reform. This could be compared to the current problem in New York City where those in power are not the ones who are suffering. The growing difference between the rich and poor in the city that began decades ago can lead to a decline of a working city yet again.”  Check out this article on The Forgotten Virtues of Tammany Hall.