Remembrance in Honor Of

Fred Siegel, Renowned Urban Scholar and Advisor to Rudy Giuliani, Passes Away

Fred Siegel, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a significant figure in American urban policy, has passed away. Throughout his career, Siegel made a lasting impact on the renewal of American cities, particularly New York, in the 1990s.

Siegel served as editor of City Journal in the early 1990s and was a contributing editor for many years. His tenure at City Journal saw the publication of numerous insightful articles on urban affairs, which contributed to the formation of a national coalition focused on city renewal.

During Rudy Giuliani's 1993 mayoral campaign, Siegel was a senior adviser, and later, he wrote speeches for the mayor. His work was instrumental in Giuliani's successful efforts to restore New York City as America's and the world's leading city. This period is chronicled in Siegel's book, "The Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York, and the Genius of American Life."

Siegel's books have been widely acclaimed for their originality and conviction. His work, "The Revolt Against the Masses: How Liberalism Has Undermined the Middle Class," was praised by Michael Barone as "stunningly original and convincing." In "The Future Once Happened Here: New York, D.C., L.A., and the Fate of America's Big Cities," Siegel analyzes the trajectory of major cities since the 1960s.

Beyond his work on urban policy, Siegel's ideas about the role of liberalism in society were influential. He argued that environmentalism had poisoned liberals' historical optimism, and his book, "The Collapse of Reason: How the Structure of Our Arguments Breaks Down and How We Can Rebuild Them," explores this theme in depth.

As historians question who lost the middle class in the not-too-distant future, Siegel's work remains a valuable resource for understanding the factors that contributed to this shift. His insights will continue to be relevant as we grapple with the challenges facing our cities today.

In honour of Fred Siegel's contributions, City Journal will be running tributes to him on their website this week. His legacy as a scholar, advisor, and urban visionary will undoubtedly endure.

In a broader political context, the collapse of government legitimacy is a factor in the rise of figures like Donald Trump, the current Republican frontrunner. While Siegel's work focused on urban policy, his insights into the erosion of traditional values and institutions resonate in today's political landscape.

Meanwhile, the riot ideology, reborn, is associated with Baltimore, and Ta-Nehisi Coates is linked to a new racial politics. These developments underscore the ongoing need for thoughtful analysis and constructive dialogue about the future of our cities and our society as a whole.

Fred Siegel's work, grounded in a deep understanding of history and a commitment to the common good, will continue to inspire those who seek to build a better future for America's cities and its people.