Former Albuquerque Mayor David Rusk dies at 85

 -- "David Rusk, former Albuquerque mayor and son of US secretary of state, dies," Albuquerque Journal

Rusk was mayor rom 1977 to 1981 and among his accomplishments was an expansion of public transit hiring women for important positions in government, and investments in arts and culture.

But his impact was more important nationally, after his term ended.  He contributed significantly to the national discourse on urban revitalization, calling attention to suburban sprawl and how it depopulates and defunds center cities.

Rusk took positions in the federal government, was a consultant,  wrote many books on urban problems, especially around sprawl and defunding of center cities.

Two of his books remain important and have for decades.

Inside Game Outside Game: Winning Strategies for Saving Urban America and Cities without Suburbs, discussed rebalancing suburban-centric metropolitan areas towards center city revitalization. 

The theses were that cities over focused on anti-poverty programs rather than growth and growth management, which should be facilitated by  sharing tax revenues, and planning growth and housing at the regional scale.  

Separately, Baltimore Unbound attributes the city's problems to concentrated poverty and segregation vis a vis the Metropolitan area.