An important figure in urban economics, David Rusk combined strong analytical skills with practical political experience. He was a federal Labor Department official, New Mexico legislator, and mayor of Albuquerque, the USA’s 32nd largest city.
Rusk went on to serve as a consultant on urban policy, working in over 130 US communities in 35 states. Abroad, Rusk lectured on urban problems in Canada, England, Germany, South Africa, and The Netherlands.
The Congressional Quarterly labeled Rusk’s Cities without Suburbs “the Bible of the regionalism movement.” “A must read,” said the Government Finance Review of Inside Game/Outside Game.
In 1991, he and his wife, the former Delcia Bence of Buenos Aires, Argentina, returned from Albuquerque to Washington, DC. They lived here from 1963 to 1971 when Rusk worked for the Washington Urban League (March on Washington to Poor People’s Campaign) and where all three of their children were born.
Rusk was an ardent fan of DC United and champion of Buzzard Point, its new soccer stadium in D.C.’s oldest neighborhood.
David Rusk passed in November of 2025. The D.C. Policy Center remains grateful for his integral contributions to the organization’s early work.
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