This is a transcript which documents 1980 hearings of the House of Representatives Committee on the District of Columbia. The transcript compares past and present conditions in Washington, D.C. and other American cities; surveys how Federal assistance has helped or hindered the ability of cities to confront urban problems; and explores how Federal government resources can best aid cities. Washington, D.C. receives the most attention (it is called a "prototype of America's major urban central cities"). Other urban centers considered in relative depth are Atlanta, Miami, Watts, and Detroit. The 35 witnesses whose testimony is presented came from universities, research centers, community programs, and government. Special material is presented from newspapers, the U.S. General Accounting Office, the District of Columbia police department and school system, the Congressional Research Service, the National Community Action Agency, the National Urban League, the National Urban coalition, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and academic research. The many different areas considered include affirmative action, civil rights, and equal opportunity; urban economics and finance; Federal support, and grants-in-aid; taxation; equal employment, manpower, and training; crime, safety, and the police-community relationship; families and housing; education; poverty; racism; senior citizens and youth; population movements, migration, and refugees; and urban development and policy. (KH)