Most of the profound, intractable, if not insoluble problems of our times are those of the human condition. Problems of poverty, human rights, race ideology, deprivation, roolessness, need to be tackled. Even those vehemently opposed to public policy intervention in the environmental, economic, or social market places admit a need to be better informed on the origins of problems, their characteristics, trends, variations in space and time, and the likely prospects for bettering this human condition. Through techniques of survey, analysis, and synthesis, the social scientist is trained to supply this need for information and advice. However, it is through political action that policies are made and implemented so there is an urgent need for social scientists, policy makers and governments to understand each other`s concerns more fully. This is a pioneering text, a geographical introduction to public policy analysis in the United States, using an applied perspective to deal with the major contemporary spatial problems. A model of the policy process is presented and related to a number of thematic studies covering such topics as area and regional development. This book will provide a basis for university courses in appled geography and policy analysis. It will also focus the dialogue between geographers and policy makers.