Cityscape Examines Regionalism and Community Empowerment
A special issue of Cityscape, prepared in conjunction with United States participation in the United Nations' Habitat II conference held in Istanbul last month, explores two issues confronting urban policymakers throughout the world. Guest-edited by William J. Benfanti and John P. Ross of HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research, Cityscape examines the regional impact of development policies that address inner-city problems and discusses community empowerment strategies, including approaches to crime control.
Todd Swanstrom, of the State University of New York at Albany, examines one of the underlying assumptions of regionalism: that the economic fates of cities, their suburbs, and their regions are inexorably linked. Swanstrom concludes that recent arguments supporting regional economic cooperation have overemphasized economic factors and finds social factors, including a "regional vision," more compelling. In other articles:
Margaret Weir of the Brookings Institution points out that big cities have lost power in State politics, which, she says, are increasingly driven by a suburban-based political agenda. This makes it difficult to build policy coalitions that address urban problems.
AnnaLee Saxenian of the University of California, Berkeley, compares two of America's leading technology regions -- California's Silicon Valley and Massachusetts' Route 128. She concludes that the most successful regional economies are those in which corporate and social boundaries blur and community resources such as schools, businesses, and other social institutions contribute to an entrepreneurial business climate.
Several articles focus on the topic of neighborhood change and community empowerment. Dan A. Lewis of Northeastern University traces a policy history of crime prevention and considers recent evaluations of the effectiveness of community crime prevention initiatives. Peter Dreier of Occidental College discusses factors that lead to successful community organizing, while Prudence Brown of the University of Chicago argues that comprehensive community-based initiatives can foster a regional interdependence for physical, economic, and social development resources.
Papers in this issue were first presented at HUD-sponsored research roundtables in 1993 and 1994. Cityscape, published three times a year, is available from HUD USER for $5 per issue. Please contact HUD USER to obtain copies.
