Clarence N. Stone

Urban Neighborhoods in a New Era: Revitalization Politics in the Postindustrial City Clarence N. Stone

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Brief Description: Faced with the loss of their industrial base, American cities in the past have focused on fostering economic growth especially in downtown areas, with neighborhoods by contrast being virtually ignored. This situation is starting to change, and the purpose of "In a New Era "is to re-assess the place neighborhoods hold not only in contemporary urban politics, but in urban research as well. Running through much of this research is a "narrative of failure" in which neighborhood concerns are consistently marginalized in the face of their structural disadvantages. Focusing on distressed neighborhoods in different types of North American cities--Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Toronto--Clarence N. Stone, Robert P. Stoker, and their coauthors uncover the emergence of new trends in city-level policies and politics. When cities were in the early stage of transition away from the industrial era, pro-growth coalitions placed economic development in a privileged position and downplayed neighborhood concerns. Today this once-entrenched policy pattern is breaking up in different ways across cities as key players are beginning to treat economic development and neighborhood improvement as complementary goals. With organized business interests becoming less dominant, often more cooperative philanthropic foundations and the educational and medical sectors have become more prominent urban actors. While structural inequality certainly is still a factor, it has been, and can be, mitigated through strategically designed and institutionalized relationships. New policy practices--such as community benefits agreements and comprehensive community initiatives--may well signal a new era in which neighborhood concerns are being integrated and institutionalized into local policymaking. Review Quotes: "A half-century of battles between pro-development forces and neighborhood defenders has reshaped the urban political landscape. Conflicts exist in cities around the world between economic forces favoring development and protectors of neighborhood distinctiveness. What is different is that outcomes are no longer as pre-determined as in the past. Through a series of well-informed and perceptive case studies, the authors identify an important incremental shift in urban policy from a narrow preoccupation with land use toward greater concern with people. Revitalization policies have become viewed as an iterative and ongoing process rather than as a package of fixed products. While inequality and neighborhood distress remain pressing challenges for urban communities everywhere, this volume demonstrates that the possibilities for responding are more fluid and, hopefully, more effective than ever before."--Blair Ruble, Woodrow Wilson International Center for ScholarsTable of Contents: List of TablesPreface, by Clarence N. StoneList of AbbreviationsOne / Change AfootMartin Horak, Juliet Musso, Ellen Shiau, Robert P. Stoker, and Clarence N. StoneTwo / Contexts for Neighborhood Revitalization: A Comparative OverviewHarold Wolman and Martin Horak, with the assistance of Camille A. Sola and Diana HincapieThree / Neighborhood Policy in Baltimore: The Postindustrial TurnRobert P. Stoker, Clarence N. Stone, and Donn WorgsFour / Standing in Two Worlds: Neighborhood Policy, the Civic Arena, and Ward-Based Politics in ChicagoJohn Betancur, Karen Mossberger, and Yue ZhangFive / Professionalized Government: Institutionalizing the New Politics in PhoenixMarilyn Dantico and James SvaraSix / City Fragmentation and Neighborhood Connections: The Political Dynamics of Community Revitalization in Los AngelesEllen Shiau, Juliet Musso, and Jefferey M. SellersSeven / The New Politics in a Postindustrial City: Intersecting Policies in DenverSusan E. ClarkeEight / Policy Shift without Institutional Change: The Precarious Place of Neighborhood Revitalization in TorontoMartin Horak and Aaron Alexander Moore Nine / Contending with Structural Inequality in a New EraRobert P. Stoker, Clarence N. Stone, and Martin HorakReferencesList of CoauthorsIndexReview Quotes: "A generation ago, scholars sought to 'bring the state back in' to studies of urban politics. "Urban Neighborhoods in a New Era" proposes to do the same for neighborhood revitalization politics. This is a timely and important work with well-written case studies, cross-city statistics, and a wealth of forward-looking theoretical insights that will appeal to a wide-ranging audience of scholars and students as well as practitioners in the nonprofit sector and general readers interested in the fate of cities."--Steven P. Erie, University of California, San DiegoReview Quotes: "An excellent collection of research essays on the changing fortunes of urban neighborhoods, and the approaches cities have developed to support them, over the last several decades. The volume includes outstanding and up-to-date interpretative analysis of both the politics and the policy process in one Canadian and five American cities. Altogether, the book represents a new standard in comparative urban studies for North America."--Richard Stren, University of TorontoReview Quotes: A generation ago, scholars sought to bring the state back in to studies of urban politics."Urban Neighborhoods in a New Era"proposes to do the same for neighborhood revitalization politics. This is a timely and important work with well-written case studies, cross-city statistics, and a wealth of forward-looking theoretical insights that will appeal to a wide-ranging audience of scholars and students as well as practitioners in the nonprofit sector and general readers interested in the fate of cities. --Steven P. Erie, University of California, San Diego"Biographical Note: Clarence N. Stone is research professor of public policy and political science at George Washington University in Washington, DC, where Robert P. Stoker is associate professor of political science and a member of the faculty of the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration. "Review Quotes: A half-century of battles between pro-development forces and neighborhood defenders has reshaped the urban political landscape. Conflicts exist in cities around the world between economic forces favoring development and protectors of neighborhood distinctiveness. What is different is that outcomes are no longer as pre-determined as in the past. Through a series of well-informed and perceptive case studies, the authors identify an important incremental shift in urban policy from a narrow preoccupation with land use toward greater concern with people. Revitalization policies have become viewed as an iterative and ongoing process rather than as a package of fixed products. While inequality and neighborhood distress remain pressing challenges for urban communities everywhere, this volume demonstrates that the possibilities for responding are more fluid and, hopefully, more effective than ever before. --Blair Ruble, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars"Publisher Marketing: For decades, North American cities racked by deindustrialization and population loss have followed one primary path in their attempts at revitalization: a focus on economic growth in downtown and business areas. Neighborhoods, meanwhile, have often been left severely underserved. There are, however, signs of change. This collection of studies by a distinguished group of political scientists and urban planning scholars offers a rich analysis of the scope, potential, and ramifications of a shift still in progress. Focusing on neighborhoods in six cities Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Toronto the authors show how key players, including politicians and philanthropic organizations, are beginning to see economic growth and neighborhood improvement as complementary goals. The heads of universities and hospitals in central locations also find themselves facing newly defined realities, adding to the fluidity of a new political landscape even as structural inequalities exert a continuing influence. While not denying the hurdles that community revitalization still faces, the contributors ultimately put forth a strong case that a more hospitable local milieu can be created for making neighborhood policy. In examining the course of experiences from an earlier period of redevelopment to the present postindustrial city, this book opens a window on a complex process of political change and possibility for reform." Contributor Bio:  Stone, Clarence N Clarence N. Stone is research professor of public policy and political science at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Contributor Bio:  Clarke, Susan E Clarke is professor of political science. Contributor Bio:  Horak, Martin Martin Horak is associate professor of political science at the University of Western Ontario. Contributor Bio:  Mossberger, Karen Karen Mossberger is Associate Professor in the Graduate Program in Public Administration, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, University of Illinois at Chicago.