The ten articles in this book examine the causes and remedies for the apparent communication barrier between the urban poor and the rest of the nation. The articles, written by journalists, businessmen, and community leaders--both black and white, range from a broad based description of the communications behaviors of the urban poor, to attempts to pinpoint the problems of the mass media in trying to reach the urban poor, to suggestions of ways in which the Federal Government can facilitate communication within the city. Two examples of what individuals from the inner city can do to help themselves are presented; Budd Schulberg chronicles the rise of the successful Watts Writers Workshop and Royce Hanson suggests that for "grass roots" politics to survive we will have to have a far more sophisticated use not only of the traditional communications media, but also the media of political communication, the representative processes, and the structure of government. The last two articles take a look at the future prospects and possibilities of communication in cities; one predicts the future of communication in megalopolis, the other describes the model urban communication plan of the "new city" of Columbia. (JY)