WHY PASSION FOR THE CITY HAS BEEN LOST

In the late 1960s, an emotional public discussion followed the publica tion of Edward C. Banfield's The Unheavenly City. Since then, cities h ave been less fervently and popularly acclaimed and academic urbanists no longer produce crossover works whose arguments arouse intense and widespread debate. This paper, an exercise in intellectual history, de scribes this state of affairs and offers an explanation that considers changing patterns of urbanization, shifting government commitments an d political inclinations; the dynamics of the mass media, and the demi se of the public intellectual. The author concludes by reflecting on t he formation of attentive publics and captivating themes.