SUNY series in Urban Public Policy - Böcker

City Choices argues that both economic concerns and political factors can be synthesized in a new framework in city policymaking. This synthesis is based on a systematic empirical study of policymaking in two large cities. Using numerous governmental documents and conducting extensive interviews with local, state, and federal officials, the author examines how the two cities have implemented both federal redistributive and development programs in education and housing.The author uses three models in explaining city choices: "economic constraint"; "clientele participation"; and "institutional diversity" and concludes by offering his "political choice" perspective, which identifies specific sets of local political forces that are likely to alter the city's rational choices in development and redistributive issues.

This book is an examination of contemporary gangs in American cities. Gangs have proliferated over the past ten years and pose a new set of challenges to public officials, law enforcement agencies, and urban educators. Most major cities are now confronted with serious problems derived from gang violence, drug traffic, and disruption of the public educational system. In the face of deindustrialization and deepening recession, many minority youngsters view gangs as attractive alternatives to a futile search for employment in a deteriorating urban economy. Perhaps most significant, gangs are now beginning to emerge in small and medium-sized cities.Some of the nation's leading scientists and scholars have been brought together in this book to examine the contemporary contours of America's gang problem, including Daniel J. Monti, Joan Moore, Scott Cummings, Howard Pinderhughes, Diego Vigil, Ray Hutchison, Felix Padilla, Jerome H. Skolnick, Pat Jackson, and Robert A. Destro. New material dealing with wilding gangs, migration and drug trafficking, and public educational disruption appear in this volume. Other topics covered include how gangs are organized, what social function they serve, their relation to conventional society, and the social and psychological factors that contribute to their rise. The relationship of the contemporary gang problem to past research is explored, and a rich variety of case histories and comparative analysis is presented. The book also includes a section on public policy.

Shows that cities can be revitalized by attracting and retaining the middle class through schools and housing programs.Selling Cities takes the optimistic position that cities can be revitalized by attracting and retaining the middle class. The authors, experienced policymakers as well as academics, review previous work on city revitalization; report original research on homebuyers in the Cincinnati and Wilmington, Delaware metropolitan areas; and present case studies of middle-income schooling and housing policies in these and other metropolitan areas around the U.S. and Canada.Selling Cities spans several disciplines—economics, sociology, demography, law, and planning—and is one of the first books to examine both housing and schooling programs. It includes numerous recommendations for city revitalization; an analysis of middle-income housing programs such as tax abatements and below-market-rate mortgages; analyses of metropolitan school desegregation in the Wilmington area and magnet schools in Cincinnati; and proposals of policies to enhance cities' attraction and retention of the middle class.

Shows that cities can be revitalized by attracting and retaining the middle class through schools and housing programs.Selling Cities takes the optimistic position that cities can be revitalized by attracting and retaining the middle class. The authors, experienced policymakers as well as academics, review previous work on city revitalization; report original research on homebuyers in the Cincinnati and Wilmington, Delaware metropolitan areas; and present case studies of middle-income schooling and housing policies in these and other metropolitan areas around the U.S. and Canada.Selling Cities spans several disciplines—economics, sociology, demography, law, and planning—and is one of the first books to examine both housing and schooling programs. It includes numerous recommendations for city revitalization; an analysis of middle-income housing programs such as tax abatements and below-market-rate mortgages; analyses of metropolitan school desegregation in the Wilmington area and magnet schools in Cincinnati; and proposals of policies to enhance cities' attraction and retention of the middle class.

Americans with changing lifestyles, nontraditional households, and special needs and interests are increasingly looking for alternatives to the single-family house, and especially for the opportunity to share housing with others for economic, social, and personal reasons. This book reviews the status of shared housing in the U.S. housing market, establishes a research and policy agenda on shared housing as a contribution to the national effort to improve housing affordability and quality, and argues for changing public policy to support it.The book consists of original essays (by Anna Hardman, Sherry Ahrentzen, Jacqueline Leavitt, Jean Butzen, Richard Biddlecombe, Patricia Baron Pollak, Peter Marris, and the editors) on topics such as shared housing in low-income households; shared housing for the elderly; single-room occupancy housing; zoning as a tool for shared housing; and problems associated with shared housing. The authors argue convincingly that current housing policy and regulations, supported by popular opinion, greatly limit the development of multiple-dwelling houses, and they make the case that shared housing can provide an attractive option for low- and moderate-income families who cannot afford suburban homes during a period of economic recession and declining expectations.

Analyzes the future of urban communities and presents models for community planning, taking into account different classes, ethnicities, and cultures.The Organization of Hope tells the stories of a Jewish community and a white ethnic community as they plan for their futures. Though they differ in class, ethnicity, and culture, they struggle with the same questions: What identity will hold their communities together? How can they plan for their communities' economic, social, and spiritual survival? The book analyzes the future of urban communities, and presents models for community planning.

An in-depth examination of the non-profit housing sector that covers theory, research, and policy.Dissatisfied with the performance of government and the for-profit sector in the provision of low-income housing, housing policymakers have increasingly turned to the nonprofit sector. The nonprofit housing sector, despite its small size in the United States and its serious problems with production and management capacity, benefits in the public eye from the positive aura of volunteerism, coupled with the vague promise of shifting governmental fiscal burdens to philanthropy and private charity. But despite the favorable aura of nonprofit housing, governments and housing advocates in the United States display limited understanding of the nonprofit sector. This book addresses this deficiency by examining theory, research, and policy. It moves beyond descriptions of current nonprofit housing providers and the programs they use, to a deeper level of understanding of the nonprofit housing sector, providing the policymaker, administrator, and advocate, as well as the scholar and student, with the theoretical and research grounding from which to develop better policies, practices, and research.Contributors to this book include Peter J. Boelhouwer, Rachel G. Bratt, Peter Dreier, Robert Dyck, Scott Hebert, C. Theodore Koebel, William M. Rohe, Bishwapriya Sanyal, Richard Steinberg, Harry M. H. van der Heiden, James Wallace, and Robert B. Whittlesey.

Provides a comprehensive, up-to-date description and analysis of the housing and neighborhood problems facing residents of the nation's largest city, and the policies that have been developed to solve these problems.Leading housing scholars and practitioners provide a comprehensive, up-to-date description and analysis of housing and community development policy as they examine one of America's largest and most important cities.Throughout the nation's history, New York City has been at the forefront of housing policy creativity and innovation. As the federal government's role in social policy continues to shrink and authority devolves to local governments, the focus in urban policy turns to America's cities. New York City's experience provides useful lessons for other municipalities on both the opportunities and pitfalls for government intervention in the housing market. Housing and Community Development in New York City comprehensively explores a full range of policy issues including the analysis of current housing problems and demographics; examination of federally supported housing assistance programs such as public housing and Section 8; scrutiny of the City's response to homelessness and the abandonment of private sector housing; and a look at New York's innovative program to rebuild neighborhoods with public-private partnerships.[Contributors include Victor Bach, Frank P. Braconi, Dennis Culhane, Paula Galowitz, Steve Metraux, Peter D. Salins, Benjamin P. Scafidi, Michael H. Schill, Alex Schwartz, Philip Thompson, Avis Vidal, Susan Wachter, and Kathryn Wylde.]

Two decades after Harvey Molotch's "city as a growth machine," this book offers a unique, critical assessment of his thesis.Harvey Molotch's "city as a growth machine" thesis is one of the most influential approaches to the analysis of urban politics and local economic development in the United States. However, the nature and context of urban politics have changed considerably since the growth machine thesis was first proposed more than twenty years ago, and recent attempts to apply it to settings outside the U.S. have revealed conceptual and empirical limitations.This book offers a unique critical assessment of the contribution of the growth machine thesis to research in urban political economy. Written from an interdisciplinary and international perspective, it brings together leading urban studies scholars. These contributors explore three organizing themes: urban growth, discourse and ideology; new dimensions of urban politics; and the growth machine in comparative perspective. These themes not only provide the focus for the critical examinations of the growth machine thesis, but also offer exciting new ways of thinking about and researching urban politics and local economic development.As Harvey Molotch himself notes in this book's concluding chapter, "The growth machine idea makes a substantive argument about the empirical substance of U.S. urban regimes. It asserts that virtually every city (and state) government is a growth machine and long has been. It asserts that this puts localities in chronic competition with one another in ways that harm the vast majority of their citizens as well as their environments. It anticipates an ideological structure that naturalizes growth goals as a background assumption of civic life. In a social science realm where successful empirical generalizations have been few, the growth machine idea robustly and usefully describes reality."Contributors include Thabit Abu-Rass, Keith Bassett, Mark Boyle, Allan Cochrane, Kevin R. Cox, Kyle Crowder, Melissa R. Gilbert, Bob Jessop, Andrew Kirby, Mickey Lauria, Helga Leitner, John R. Logan, Harvey Molotch, Jamie Peck, Stephanie Pincetl, Eric Sheppard, John Rennie Short, Adam Tickell, Rachel Bridges Whaley, and Andrew Wood.

Two decades after Harvey Molotch's "city as a growth machine," this book offers a unique, critical assessment of his thesis.Harvey Molotch's "city as a growth machine" thesis is one of the most influential approaches to the analysis of urban politics and local economic development in the United States. However, the nature and context of urban politics have changed considerably since the growth machine thesis was first proposed more than twenty years ago, and recent attempts to apply it to settings outside the U.S. have revealed conceptual and empirical limitations.This book offers a unique critical assessment of the contribution of the growth machine thesis to research in urban political economy. Written from an interdisciplinary and international perspective, it brings together leading urban studies scholars. These contributors explore three organizing themes: urban growth, discourse and ideology; new dimensions of urban politics; and the growth machine in comparative perspective. These themes not only provide the focus for the critical examinations of the growth machine thesis, but also offer exciting new ways of thinking about and researching urban politics and local economic development.As Harvey Molotch himself notes in this book's concluding chapter, "The growth machine idea makes a substantive argument about the empirical substance of U.S. urban regimes. It asserts that virtually every city (and state) government is a growth machine and long has been. It asserts that this puts localities in chronic competition with one another in ways that harm the vast majority of their citizens as well as their environments. It anticipates an ideological structure that naturalizes growth goals as a background assumption of civic life. In a social science realm where successful empirical generalizations have been few, the growth machine idea robustly and usefully describes reality."Contributors include Thabit Abu-Rass, Keith Bassett, Mark Boyle, Allan Cochrane, Kevin R. Cox, Kyle Crowder, Melissa R. Gilbert, Bob Jessop, Andrew Kirby, Mickey Lauria, Helga Leitner, John R. Logan, Harvey Molotch, Jamie Peck, Stephanie Pincetl, Eric Sheppard, John Rennie Short, Adam Tickell, Rachel Bridges Whaley, and Andrew Wood.

Explores the role that public opinion plays in the development of social policy in the United States.CHOICE 2000 Outstanding Academic TitleThe Sometime Connection introduces a variety of theoretical perspectives on the connection between public opinion and policy and applies them to six social policy topics: abortion, affirmative action, welfare, Social Security, corrections, and pornography. The book provides complete policy histories, information on trends in public opinion, and a diagnosis of the role that public opinion has played in the development of policy for each of the six topics discussed.

Explores the role that public opinion plays in the development of social policy in the United States.CHOICE 2000 Outstanding Academic TitleThe Sometime Connection introduces a variety of theoretical perspectives on the connection between public opinion and policy and applies them to six social policy topics: abortion, affirmative action, welfare, Social Security, corrections, and pornography. The book provides complete policy histories, information on trends in public opinion, and a diagnosis of the role that public opinion has played in the development of policy for each of the six topics discussed.

Uses case studies of Jerusalem and Belfast to explore how cities function in the midst of nationalistic conflict.Examining how nationalistic ethnic conflict penetrates the building of cities, this book explores whether urban policymaking may independently influence the shape and magnitude of that conflict. Bollens utilizes an analytic lens to study the complex spatial and psychological qualities of unique urban arenas of nationalistic conflict and the obstacles faced by policymakers in improving intergroup relations. An integrative analytic approach combining the perspectives of political science, urban planning, geography, and social psychology is used to examine such urban issues as sovereignty, territoriality, group identity, and community organization. Focusing on Jerusalem and Belfast as examples of urban polarization, the book describes struggles over local policymaking that are intensified by disputes reflecting racial, nationalist, and/or religious fractures. Because these cities are important microcosms of regional and international conflict, they constitute an essential analytical scale for studying contemporary intrastate patterns and processes of ethnic conflict, violence, and their management.

Uses case studies of Jerusalem and Belfast to explore how cities function in the midst of nationalistic conflict.Examining how nationalistic ethnic conflict penetrates the building of cities, this book explores whether urban policymaking may independently influence the shape and magnitude of that conflict. Bollens utilizes an analytic lens to study the complex spatial and psychological qualities of unique urban arenas of nationalistic conflict and the obstacles faced by policymakers in improving intergroup relations. An integrative analytic approach combining the perspectives of political science, urban planning, geography, and social psychology is used to examine such urban issues as sovereignty, territoriality, group identity, and community organization. Focusing on Jerusalem and Belfast as examples of urban polarization, the book describes struggles over local policymaking that are intensified by disputes reflecting racial, nationalist, and/or religious fractures. Because these cities are important microcosms of regional and international conflict, they constitute an essential analytical scale for studying contemporary intrastate patterns and processes of ethnic conflict, violence, and their management.

The first in-depth examination of self-employment from the perspectives of low-income entrepreneurs.Businesses come to life as owners are allowed to speak in their own words in this first in-depth examination of self-employment told from the perspectives of low-income microentrepreneurs. The book systematically analyzes a range of issues, including who chooses to open a micro business, and why; what resources do they bring to their business venture; how well will their venture fare; and what contributes to the growth or decline of their business. The authors conclude that most microentrepreneurs believe self-employment offers a range of monetary and nonmonetary benefits and argue it would be more advantageous to view microenterprise as a social and economic development strategy rather than simply as an anti-poverty strategy. Based on this observation, a range of strategies to better promote microenterprise programs among the poor is advanced, with the goal of targeting the most promising approaches.

The first in-depth examination of self-employment from the perspectives of low-income entrepreneurs.Businesses come to life as owners are allowed to speak in their own words in this first in-depth examination of self-employment told from the perspectives of low-income microentrepreneurs. The book systematically analyzes a range of issues, including who chooses to open a micro business, and why; what resources do they bring to their business venture; how well will their venture fare; and what contributes to the growth or decline of their business. The authors conclude that most microentrepreneurs believe self-employment offers a range of monetary and nonmonetary benefits and argue it would be more advantageous to view microenterprise as a social and economic development strategy rather than simply as an anti-poverty strategy. Based on this observation, a range of strategies to better promote microenterprise programs among the poor is advanced, with the goal of targeting the most promising approaches.

Examines how and why government leaders understand and respond to African Americans and Latinos in northeastern cities with strong political traditions.Focusing on four medium-sized northeastern cities with strong political traditions, Electoral Politics Is Not Enough analyzes conditions under which white leaders respond to and understand minority interests. Peter F. Burns argues that conventional explanations, including the size of the minority electorate, the socioeconomic status of the citizenry, and the percentage of minority elected officials do not account for variations in white leaders' understanding of and receptiveness toward African American and Latino interests. Drawing upon interviews with more than 200 white and minority local leaders, and through analysis of local education and public safety policies, he finds that unconventional channels, namely neighborhood groups and community-based organizations, strongly influence the representation of minority interests.

Evaluates the impact of equity investments in five cities during the 1990s.Economic Development in American Cities addresses the roles of municipal leaders and civic partners in promoting social equity by examining the experiences of five American cities in the 1990s-Austin, Cleveland, Rochester, Savannah, and Seattle. These five cities were chosen for their activist municipal administrations, robust policy agendas, and viable partnerships. Contributors familiar with each city evaluate the impact of equity investments and extract lessons for municipal leaders and policy agendas. Building on the past experiences of progressive cities, each case study city offers fresh perspectives and examples, told through a rigorous analysis of socioeconomic data and program outcomes combined with engaging stories about specific municipal administrations and policy agendas.

Evaluates the impact of equity investments in five cities during the 1990s.Economic Development in American Cities addresses the roles of municipal leaders and civic partners in promoting social equity by examining the experiences of five American cities in the 1990s-Austin, Cleveland, Rochester, Savannah, and Seattle. These five cities were chosen for their activist municipal administrations, robust policy agendas, and viable partnerships. Contributors familiar with each city evaluate the impact of equity investments and extract lessons for municipal leaders and policy agendas. Building on the past experiences of progressive cities, each case study city offers fresh perspectives and examples, told through a rigorous analysis of socioeconomic data and program outcomes combined with engaging stories about specific municipal administrations and policy agendas.

Examines the impact of business improvement districts on the quality of contemporary civic life.Jerry Mitchell provides a comprehensive analysis of business improvement districts (BIDs)-public-private partnerships that shape city places into enticing destinations for people to work, live, and have fun. Responsible for the revitalization of New York's Times Square and Seattle's Pioneer Square, BIDs operate in large cities and small towns throughout the United States. Mitchell examines the reasons for their emergence, the ways they are organized and financed, the types of services they provide, their performance, their advantages and disadvantages, and their future prospects.

Examines the impact of business improvement districts on the quality of contemporary civic life.Jerry Mitchell provides a comprehensive analysis of business improvement districts (BIDs)-public-private partnerships that shape city places into enticing destinations for people to work, live, and have fun. Responsible for the revitalization of New York's Times Square and Seattle's Pioneer Square, BIDs operate in large cities and small towns throughout the United States. Mitchell examines the reasons for their emergence, the ways they are organized and financed, the types of services they provide, their performance, their advantages and disadvantages, and their future prospects.

An account of the origin, enactment, and implementation of Maryland's Smart Growth land use program begun in 1966.Sprawl and Politics is a political history of the origin, enactment, and implementation of Maryland's well-known Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation initiative. It is an insider's look at the political pressures and decisions made by Parris N. Glendening, the former governor of Maryland, and his top staff as they worked to enact and implement a new program to manage growth and curtail sprawl. The book traces the evolution of the Smart Growth program from its substantive underpinnings to the political and public relations strategies needed to assure the program's adoption.Known around the country almost immediately after it was enacted, the program's incentive-based approach served as a model for other states struggling with growth pressures but reluctant to regulate land use. With a perspective only a participant could provide, John W. Frece examines the incidents, issues, pressures, and personalities responsible for shaping the program as well as the challenges faced putting the ideas into practice.

An account of the origin, enactment, and implementation of Maryland's Smart Growth land use program begun in 1966.Sprawl and Politics is a political history of the origin, enactment, and implementation of Maryland's well-known Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation initiative. It is an insider's look at the political pressures and decisions made by Parris N. Glendening, the former governor of Maryland, and his top staff as they worked to enact and implement a new program to manage growth and curtail sprawl. The book traces the evolution of the Smart Growth program from its substantive underpinnings to the political and public relations strategies needed to assure the program's adoption.Known around the country almost immediately after it was enacted, the program's incentive-based approach served as a model for other states struggling with growth pressures but reluctant to regulate land use. With a perspective only a participant could provide, John W. Frece examines the incidents, issues, pressures, and personalities responsible for shaping the program as well as the challenges faced putting the ideas into practice.

In spite of the gravity of the problem of mass unemployment and its periodic recurrence in industrial societies, few scientific studies have been undertaken which serve to define the impact of plant closings on workers, families, and the community; to evaluate individual group, or community responses to closings; and to offer suggestions for the future.Shutdown at Youngstown meets this need. It presents the findings of a multidisciplinary, scientific study of the closing of the steel mills in Youngstown in 1977 which put 5,000 persons out of work. Research reported in the text is based on personal interviews, social indicator data, and data from health and human service agencies. The authors conclude by developing a public policy for dealing with plant closings and the crisis of mass unemployment.

In spite of the gravity of the problem of mass unemployment and its periodic recurrence in industrial societies, few scientific studies have been undertaken which serve to define the impact of plant closings on workers, families, and the community; to evaluate individual group, or community responses to closings; and to offer suggestions for the future.Shutdown at Youngstown meets this need. It presents the findings of a multidisciplinary, scientific study of the closing of the steel mills in Youngstown in 1977 which put 5,000 persons out of work. Research reported in the text is based on personal interviews, social indicator data, and data from health and human service agencies. The authors conclude by developing a public policy for dealing with plant closings and the crisis of mass unemployment.

In many American cities, middle and upper income people are moving into neighborhoods that had previously suffered disinvestment and decay. The new residents renovate housing, stimulate business, and contribute to the tax base. These benefits of neighborhood revitalization are, in some cases, achieved at a potentially serious cost: the displacement of existing neighborhood residents by eviction, condominium conversion, or as a result of rent increases.Revitalizing America's Cities investigates the reasons why the affluent move into revitalizing inner-city neighborhoods and the ways in which the new residents benefit the city. It also examines the resulting displaced households. Data are presented on displacement in nine revitalizing neighborhoods of five cities - the most comprehensive survey of displaced households conducted to date. The study reveals characteristics of displaced households and hardships encountered as a result of being forced from their homes.Also featured is an examination of federal, state, and local policies toward neighborhood reinvestment and displacement, including various alternative approaches for dealing with this issue.

Bringing an empirical, objective approach to a topic that has often been the source of emotional and uninformed controversy, Gentrification, Displacement and Neighborhood Revitalization provides an introduction to major issues in urban revitalization, new research findings, and a discussion of theoretical perspectives.This is the first broad-based survey of a scattered literature that has not been readily accessible. The book's comprehensive introduction leads to informative analyses of new research by sociologists, planners, geographers, and urban studies faculty. A concluding essay examines the present state of knowledge about gentrification and discusses its implications, suggesting future developments and trends.

Contracting out for services has become a popular technique in government's perennial quest to cut spending. Yet seldom has the practice been examined from any but the public choice approach. This book explores contracting out in the important area of human services, covering the critical conditions of contracting and the vital points of politics, procedures, service quality, and effectiveness.In doing so, DeHoog uses three theoretical perspectives drawn from social science traditions: the economic perspective of market imperfections, the political perspective of cooptation, and the interdisciplinary perspective of organizational decision-making. To evaluate the perspectives and their predictions in the human services, DeHoog has examined contracting in social services (Title XX) and employment and training programs, (CETA), primarily through in-depth interviews with participants.

Ideology and the Urban Crisis explores the philosophical underpinnings of the contemporary debate surrounding the urban crisis. It examines three major ideologies of American city politics by uncovering and analyzing the philosophical presuppositions of each as derived from the history of political thought. The book also explores writings influenced by the Marxist/radical paradigm, examines the revival of classical approaches to the city, and concludes by outlining the bases of a more adequate philosophy of urban politics.Ideology and the Urban Crisis is intended for teachers and scholars of urban politics interested in more effectively incorporating normative materials into their courses and research. Focusing on the literature of the past two decades, it argues that the ideologies of the urban crisis have had an immense impact on public policy and on the political process in general. The book classifies and explicates these materials, making them more accessible and providing a basis for their intelligent criticism.