A City Divided By Privilege And Poverty

These are good times for Boston. You can see the evidence of wealth all across the city.

Take a walk along Washington Street in Chinatown, for instance, and you'll find a new addition to the skyline: 15-story Millennium Place, a luxury living complex that boasts million-dollar condos and a new market for high-income residents.

But in the midst of economic progress is a looming threat to Boston's low-income residents. Census data shows that among big U.S. cities, Boston is home to the widest economic gap, which is why Mayor Marty Walsh has made it clear that fighting inequality is a top priority.

Walsh is among a number of big-city mayors trying to take on the growing gap between the very rich and very poor. But what can a mayor actually do? What policies work? And when is it time for smaller local organizations to step in?

Ed Glaeser, Professor of Economics at Harvard University, and author of "Triumph of the City."

Tiziana Dearing, Professor of Practice at Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. She tweets @tiziana_dearing.