Conclusions

Abstract

In Part A of this book, I began by delineating the concept of purposeful individuals who seek to realize the good life through decisions about their ordinary lives (in terms of production and family). My main argument is that this initiative shapes the economy, the political life that enables or restrains it, and the emergence of cities. In Parts B through F, I re-interpreted classic models of the urban economy in terms of this argument. In this concluding chapter, I draw together some overall thoughts about how the urban economy has advanced as an intellectual project and where future scholarship might best be focused.