Cities and Planning – serie

Arthur Mehrhoff's Community Design represents a unique way of analyzing a community and the steps needed to help design a sustainable community. In this important contribution, Mehrhoff, through his work with the Minnesota Design Team, seeks to "help communities take control of shaping a sustainable future of their own by means of information, insight, and civic dialogue." He urges readers to rethink the shape and shaping of their communities by looking at "community" in a more holistic and multidisciplinary manner. Mehrhoff tackles such topics as defining community, understanding the history of a community, understanding the issues and problems affecting a community, examining the visual aspects of a community, and obtaining citizen opinion throughout the process of becoming a sustainable community. Small communities everywhere can replicate the process discussed in this book. Community Design is well written and thought-provoking and provides a nice blend of theory and practice.

This book should be useful to all students, academics, local policy makers, and citizens who are interested in creating a common sustainable vision for their communities.

Arthur Mehrhoff's Community Design represents a unique way of analyzing a community and the steps needed to help design a sustainable community. In this important contribution, Mehrhoff, through his work with the Minnesota Design Team, seeks to "help communities take control of shaping a sustainable future of their own by means of information, insight, and civic dialogue." He urges readers to rethink the shape and shaping of their communities by looking at "community" in a more holistic and multidisciplinary manner. Mehrhoff tackles such topics as defining community, understanding the history of a community, understanding the issues and problems affecting a community, examining the visual aspects of a community, and obtaining citizen opinion throughout the process of becoming a sustainable community. Small communities everywhere can replicate the process discussed in this book. Community Design is well written and thought-provoking and provides a nice blend of theory and practice.

This book should be useful to all students, academics, local policy makers, and citizens who are interested in creating a common sustainable vision for their communities.

Almost two decades of research in U.S. city politics has produced a compelling empirical account of the nature of urban governance revolving around the alliance of business interests and local public officials. In Reconstructing City Politics, author David L. Imbroscio urges that urban political economy must now move forward beyond the question of "what is?" to a consideration of "what might be?" He systematically poses the possibilities for reconstructing the nature of contemporary city politics, while integrating a wealth of innovative urban analysis. To bring about this reconstruction, Imbroscio explores three comprehensive alternative urban economic development strategies--entrepreneurial mercantilism, community based economic development, and municipal enterprise. He considers whether these three strategies are likely to be effective for bringing about urban economic vitality and whether it is feasible for cities to pursue these efforts in the current political economic context. By addressing these questions, Imbroscio is able to reach conclusions about the possibilities for a successful and sustainable reconstruction of U.S. city politics. This important volume will be vital for professionals and and researchers in urban planning, urban studies, urban and regional economics, as well as urban politics.

Almost two decades of research in U.S. city politics has produced a compelling empirical account of the nature of urban governance revolving around the alliance of business interests and local public officials. In Reconstructing City Politics, author David L. Imbroscio urges that urban political economy must now move forward beyond the question of "what is?" to a consideration of "what might be?" He systematically poses the possibilities for reconstructing the nature of contemporary city politics, while integrating a wealth of innovative urban analysis. To bring about this reconstruction, Imbroscio explores three comprehensive alternative urban economic development strategies--entrepreneurial mercantilism, community based economic development, and municipal enterprise. He considers whether these three strategies are likely to be effective for bringing about urban economic vitality and whether it is feasible for cities to pursue these efforts in the current political economic context. By addressing these questions, Imbroscio is able to reach conclusions about the possibilities for a successful and sustainable reconstruction of U.S. city politics. This important volume will be vital for professionals and and researchers in urban planning, urban studies, urban and regional economics, as well as urban politics.

Traditionally, we take a nationalist view of our economy. Our politics and economics are wedded in the political economy of the nation state and the nationalist economic policies. This "nationalist paradigm" is, however, showing signs of fatigue: The role of the nation state is diminishing as the economy globalizes; our national accounting systems are less effective, technology forces change; trading blocs are emerging; there is less control of exchange rates; regional economies are restructuring; and competitive environments are changing. This book poses that political jurisdictions are not economies but polities, and explores the complex and important economic implications of this thesis. In reality, metropolitan-centered economic regions are the basic economic units and the building blocks of the U.S. economy. The linked, interdependent system of local economic regions form the U.S. Common Market, which in turn thrives within a global context of mutuality and interdependence. William R. Barnes and Larry C. LedeburÆs paradigm shift from the "nation as the economy" to the "national system of local economic regions" changes the framework in which we think about governance and policy and puts this book at the forefront of U.S. economic thought.

Planners hate uncertainty. The objective of their work is to devise a course of action that will reduce uncertainty on a public scale. However, complicated intergovernmental systems often make their work complex and difficult. The planning profession is founded in quandries: How can we know the future? What is the public interest? How can we know which values are right? What is the relationship between means and ends? This book addresses the mismatch between the assumptions of planning and the actual operations of the intergovernmental system Basing her work not only on empirical research but on years of personal experience in complex governmental agencies (specifically HUD), Karen Stromme Christensen presents a new theory of the underlying structure and dynamics of the U.S. intergovernmental system. It is designed to help planners and policy makers clarify the obstacles to effective action on behalf of the public good. Moreover, it suggests ways to preserve and restore the strengths of federalism and to adjust aspects that have become counterproductive.

"Finally a book that contextualizes community and neighborhood development and planning in a progressive but realist fashion. Peterman provides community and neighborhood planners with preassessment criteria and a methodological tool-kit to help ensure future success. This book is invaluable to neighborhood and community development planning courses and will provide a useful adjunct to social planning and social work courses."

--Mickey Lauria, University of New Orleans

"Bill Peterman has written a passionate treatise on neighborhood planning tempered by more than 20 years of front line experience. The result is a powerful praxis that can guide planners, community activists, and theoreticians who are concerned with making community-building a reality."

--Barbara Ferman, Professor of Political Science, Temple University

"Bill Peterman's critical analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of America's expanding community development movement should be required reading for all community activists, urban planners, policy analysts and municipal officials! Peterman's rich insights and thoughtful recommendations regarding how community-based planning and development can lead to a broader popular movement for greater social equality deserve the immediate attention of all those concerned about the future of U. S. cities."

--Kenneth M. Reardon, Associate Professor in Urban and Regional Planning,

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

" Bill Peterman offers important insights from his long experience in Chicago on neighborhood planning and community-based development. His case studies offer very useful lessons on success and failure. This is a valuable addition to the literature on urban neighborhoods."

--W. Dennis Keating Professor and Associate Dean College of Urban Affairs,

Cleveland State University

This book explores the promise and limits of bottom-up, grass-roots strategies of community organizing, development, and planning as blueprints for successful revitalization and maintenance of urban neighborhoods. Peterman proposes conditions that need to be met for bottom-up strategies to succeed. Successful neighborhood development depends not only on local actions, but also on the ability of local groups to marshal resources and political will at levels above that of the neighborhood itself. While he supports community-based initiatives, he argues that there are limits to what can be accomplished exclusively at the grass-roots level, where most efforts fail.

Neighborhood Planning and Community-Based Development should be of special interest to individuals who are directly involved in neighborhood planning and development activities. With case studies that include the issues of gentrification, public housing, government-sponsored development of sports facilities, housing management control and racial diversity, the book takes a look at accomplishing successful neighborhood-based planning and development.