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Metropolitan Institute

"Role of Contemporary Urbanisms in a Shrinking Cities Syndrome."_Kim [conference paper] - 2 views

Kim, Joongsub. "Role of Contemporary Urbanisms in a Shrinking Cities Syndrome." Paper to be presented at the annual conference for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, Salt Lake Cit...

shrinking cities United States Japan Europe international urbanisms

started by Metropolitan Institute on 04 Jan 12 no follow-up yet
Metropolitan Institute

"Using Land Inventories to Plan for Urban Agriculture."_Many Authors [journal article] - 2 views

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    Mendes, Wendy, Kevin Balmer Terra Kaethler, & Amanda Rhoads. (2008). "Using Land Inventories to Plan for Urban Agriculture." Journal of the American Planning Association. 74 (4), 435-450. Abstract: "Problem: Urban agriculture has potential to make cities more socially and ecologically sustainable, but planners have not had effective policy levers to encourage this. Purpose: We aim to learn how to use land inventories to identify city land with the potential for urban agriculture in order to plan for more sustainable communities by answering two questions: Do land inventories enable integration of urban agriculture into planning and policymaking? Do land inventories advance both ecological and social dimensions of local sustainability agendas? Methods: We use case studies of two Pacific Northwest cities (Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia), comparing the municipal land inventories they undertook to identify public lands with potential for urban agriculture. We study how they were initiated and carried out, as well as their respective scopes, scales, and outcomes. Results and conclusions: We find that the Portland inventory both enabled integration of urban agriculture into planning and policymaking and advanced social and ecological sustainability. In Vancouver similar integration was achieved, but the smaller scope of the effort meant it did little for public involvement and social sustainability. Takeaway for practice: Other local governments considering the use of a land inventory should contemplate: (a) using the inventory process itself as a way to increase institutional awareness and political support for urban agriculture; (b) aligning urban agriculture with related sustainability goals; (c) ensuring public involvement by creating participatory mechanisms in the design and implementation of the inventory; (d) drawing on the expertise of institutional partners including universities. Research support: The Centre for Urban Health Initiativ
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Metropolitan Institute

Evolution from Urban Renewal to Community Development: Implications for Shrinking Cities - 5 views

Farris, J. Terrence. "Evolution from Urban Renewal to Community Development- Implications for Shrinking Cities." Paper to be presented at the annual conference for the Association of Collegiate S...

urban redevelopment policy shrinking cities displacement renewal community development history planning 1949 Housing Act Terrence J. Farris 2011

started by Metropolitan Institute on 04 Jan 12 no follow-up yet
Metropolitan Institute

"Revitalizing Urban Neighborhoods."_Keating, Krumholz, and Star, eds. [book] - 0 views

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    Keating, W. Dennis, Norman Krumholz, and Philip Star (eds.). Revitalizing Urban Neighborhoods. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1996 This "analysis of urban neighborhoods in the United States from 1960 to 1995 presents fifteen original and thought-provoking essays by many of the leading scholars of urban planning and development. Together they show how urban neighborhoods can and must be preserved as economic, cultural, and political centers. In this unique resource, the authors examine the growth and evolution of urban neighborhoods; illustrate what approaches have and haven't worked in a number of U.S. cities, including Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Boston, and Minneapolis; investigate the expansion and widespread successes of Community Development Corporations in neighborhoods around the country; provide a comprehensive analysis of federal policies; and discuss the prospects of urban neighborhoods from a realistic perspective."
Metropolitan Institute

"Urban Ecology of Shrinking Cities: An Unrecognized Opportunity?"_Haase [journal article] - 0 views

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    Hasse, Dagmar (2008). Urban Ecology of Shrinking Cities: An Unrecognized Opportunity? Nature and Culture, 3(1), 1-8. Abstract: "Whereas environmental and social impacts of urban sprawl are widely discussed among scholars from both the natural and social sciences, the spatial consequences of urban decline are nearly neglected when discussing the impacts of land transition. Within the last decade, "shrinkage" and "perforation" have arisen as new terms to explain the land use development of urban regions faced with demographic change, particularly decreasing fertility, aging, and out-migration. Although shrinkage is far from being a "desired" scenario for urban policy makers, this paper argues that a perforation of the built-up structure in dense cities might bring up many positive implications."
Metropolitan Institute

"Old homes, externalities, and poor neighborhoods. A model of urban decline and renewal... - 1 views

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    Rosenthal, Stuart S. 2008. "Old homes, externalities, and poor neighborhoods. A model of urban decline and renewal". Journal of Urban Economics. 63 (3): 816. Abstract: "This paper investigates urban decline and renewal in the United States using three panels that follow neighborhoods on a geographically consistent basis over extended periods of time. Findings indicate that change in neighborhood economic status is common, averaging roughly 13 percent per decade; roughly two-thirds of neighborhoods studied in 1950 were of quite different economic status fifty years later. Panel unit root tests for 35 MSAs indicate that neighborhood economic status is a stationary process, consistent with long-running cycles of decline and renewal. In Philadelphia County, a complete cycle appears to last up to 100 years. Aging housing stocks and redevelopment contribute to these patterns, as do local externalities associated with social interactions. Lower-income neighborhoods appear to be especially sensitive to the presence of individuals that provide social capital. Many of the factors that drive change at the local level have large and policy relevant effects."
natalieborecki

Pushing the Urban Frontier: Temporary Uses of Space, City Marketing, and the Creative C... - 2 views

Abstract: In spite of the amount of urban development that followed the Fall of the Wall, Berlin's urban landscape has remained filled with a large amount of "voids" and disused sites, which have g...

temporary uses interim uses creative city Berlin vacant properties Claire Colomb 2012

started by natalieborecki on 02 Aug 12 no follow-up yet
natalieborecki

Shrinking Cities: Urban Challenges and Globalization - 2 views

Abstract: Urban shrinkage is not a new phenomenon. It has been documented in a large literature analyzing the social and economic issues that have led to population flight, resulting, in the wor...

globalization urban decline symposium Shrinking Cities International Research Network Cristina Martinez-Fernandez Ivonne Audirac Sylvie Fol Emmanuele Cunningham-Sabot 2012

started by natalieborecki on 23 Jul 12 no follow-up yet
natalieborecki

Urban Shrinkage in Germany and the USA: A Comparison of Transformation Patterns and Loc... - 2 views

Abstract: Many American and European cities have to deal with demographic and economic trajectories leading to urban shrinkage. According to official data, 13% of urban regions in the US and 54% o...

shrinking cities economic decline demographic changes planning paradigms Germany Thorsten Wiechmann Karina Pallagst 2012

started by natalieborecki on 02 Aug 12 no follow-up yet
Metropolitan Institute

"Brownfield Development: A Comparison of North American and British Approaches"_ Many A... - 1 views

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    Adams, D., De Sousa, C. and S. Tiesdell. 2010. "Brownfield Development: A Comparison of North American and British Approaches." Urban Studies 47(1): 75-104. "Over the past 30-40 years, urban change and deindustrialisation in advanced economies have created a legacy of vacant and derelict land that is increasingly seen as a development opportunity rather than planning problem. This paper investigates how the shared challenge of bringing such brownfield sites back into productive use has been interpreted differently in four countries: the US, Canada, Scotland and England. In each case, the particular policy environment has shaped the brownfield debate in distinctive ways, producing a different set of relations between the public and private sectors in brownfield redevelopment. Through this detailed comparison of the North American and British experience, the paper traces the maturity of policy and seeks to discover whether the main differences in understanding and tackling brownfield land can be attributed primarily to physical, cultural or institutional factors."
Metropolitan Institute

Can the Winnipeg Model Save Detroit? - 2 views

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    Could using an immigration policy to attract potential urban residents help reverse population decline in the city of Detroit? Possibly. The following article looks at the steps Winnipeg took torevise its declining population and tax base by enticing new immigrants to settle there. As a potential urban revitalization strategy, the article lays out several policy recommendations.
Metropolitan Institute

"Seizing City Assets: Ten Steps to Urban Land Reform"_Brophy & Vey [online report] - 1 views

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    Brophy, Paul and Vey, Jennifer, 2002. "Seizing City Assets: Ten Steps to Urban Land Reform," The Brookings Institution, October 2002. http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2002/10metropolitanpolicy_brophy/brophyveyvacantsteps.pdf Introduction: "One of a city's greatest assets is its available land for development. Unfortunately, many cities have land and properties that are vacant, abandoned, or under-used, with few policies and regulations in place to convert these assets into valuable, revenue-generating sites. This brief outlines ten action steps that state and local governments can follow to facilitate the development of urban land and buildings. Compiling an inventory of vacant parcels, planning for the assembly and reuse of land, and working to eliminate the many legal and administrative barriers to acquisition and development are just some of the actions the authors recommend for creating a more transparent, efficient, and effective system for private-market land development. The brief will discuss these and other proposed steps, and will highlight examples of successful practices implemented in states and localities throughout the U.S."
Metropolitan Institute

Urban Shrinkage and City Responses: How New Bedford, Massachusetts Physically Changed F... - 3 views

Abstract: Economic decline associated with the current economic recession has hit many places hard, but few have seen a whole shift in its physical form as New Bedford. Once the whaling capital of ...

economics recession New Bedford MA case studies local government policy urban planning Justin Hollander 2011

started by Metropolitan Institute on 04 Jan 12 no follow-up yet
Metropolitan Institute

Will Natural Disasters Accelerate Neighborhood Decline? - 3 views

Abstract: Vacant and abandoned properties are not only an urban ill troubling shrinking industrial cities in the United States, they are also a problem facing many growing urban areas as new develo...

vacant properties natural disasters case studies Miami-Dade County Hurricane Andrew urban planning disaster recovery Yang Zhang 2011

started by Metropolitan Institute on 04 Jan 12 no follow-up yet
Metropolitan Institute

"The Effect of Community Gardens on Neighboring Property Values"_Been & Voicu [working ... - 1 views

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    Been , Vicki and Voicu, Ioan, "The Effect of Community Gardens on Neighboring Property Values" (2006). New York University Law and Economics Working Papers. Paper 46. http://lsr.nellco.org/nyu_lewp/46 DRAFT PAPER - PLEASE DO NOT CITE WITHOUT PERMISSION Abstract: "Cities across the United States increasingly are debating the best way to use vacant "infill" lots. The community garden movement is one of the major contenders for the space, as are advocates for small public "pocket" parks and other green spaces. To allocate the land most efficiently and fairly, local governments need sound research about the value of such gardens and parks to their host communities. At the same time, cities are looking for new ways of financing the development and maintenance of public garden and park space. Some have turned to tax increment financing to generate resources, other are introducing impact fees or special assessments to cover the costs of urban parks. In order to employ such financing mechanisms, both policy concerns and legal constraints require local governments to base their charges on sound data about the impacts green spaces have on the value of the neighboring properties that would be forced to bear the incidence of the tax or fee. Despite the clear public policy need for such data, our knowledge about the impacts community gardens and other such spaces have on surrounding neighborhoods is quite limited. No studies have focused specifically on community gardens, and those that have examined the property value impacts of parks and other open space are cross-sectional studies inattentive to when the park opened, so that it is impossible to determine the direction of the causality of any property value differences found. The existing literature also has paid insufficient attention to qualitative differences among the parks studied and to differences in characteristics of the surrounding neighborhoods that might affect the parks' impacts
natalieborecki

Surviving the Era of Deindustrialization: The New Economic Geography of the Urban Rustbelt - 3 views

Abstract: This article details the transformation of the urban rust belt over the course of economic restructuring. It begins by building typologies of cities at the starting point of restructuring...

deindustrialization rust belt typologies of cities economic decline George Hobor 2012

started by natalieborecki on 02 Aug 12 no follow-up yet
Metropolitan Institute

"Philadelphia's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative: A Case Study of Mayoral Leaders... - 0 views

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    McGovern, Stephen J (2006). "Philadelphia's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative: A Case Study of Mayoral Leadership, Bold Planning and Conflict." Housing Policy Debate. 17(3), 529-570. Abstract: "This article examines the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI), Mayor John F. Street's plan to revitalize Philadelphia's distressed neighborhoods by issuing $295 million in bonds to finance the acquisition of property, the demolition of derelict buildings, and the assembling of large tracts of land for housing redevelopment. Despite its resemblance to the discredited urban renewal programs of the past, this plan offered real potential for reducing blight by leveraging substantial private investment at a time when public subsidies for affordable housing and community development have been steadily diminishing. However, NTI did not promote equitable development that might have fostered broader support for an inherently controversial plan. Moreover, Street's initial leadership in proposing this bold initiative was followed by a reluctance to promote NTI aggressively after it was adopted in 2002. The result was a watered‐down effort that achieved some goals but has fallen short of what might have been accomplished."
Metropolitan Institute

"Restoring Prosperity: The State Role in Revitalizing America's Older Industrial Cities... - 0 views

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    Vey, Jennifer S. 2007. "Restoring Prosperity: The State Role in Revitalizing America's Older Industrial cities." Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program. Summary: "Across the country, cities today are becoming more attractive to certain segments of society. Meanwhile, economic trends-globalization, the demand for educated workers, the increasing role of universities-are providing cities with an unprecedented chance to capitalize upon their economic advantages and regain their competitive edge. Many cities have exploited these assets to their advantage; the moment is ripe for older industrial cities to follow suit. But to do so, these cities need thoughtful and broad-based approaches to foster prosperity. "Restoring Prosperity" aims to mobilize governors and legislative leaders, as well as local constituencies, behind an asset-oriented agenda for reinvigorating the market in the nation's older industrial cities. The report begins with identifications and descriptions of these cities-and the economic, demographic, and policy "drivers" behind their current condition-then makes a case for why the moment is ripe for advancing urban reform, and offers a five-part agenda and organizing plan to achieve it."
Metropolitan Institute

Neighborhood Recovery: Investment Policy for the New Hometown - 2 views

Book presents a policy approach that cities can use to improve the physical condition of their neighborhoods and help urban residents compete for good jobs in the metropolitan economy.  Kromer...

urban renewal policy community development neighborhoods economics Philadelphia John Kromer 2000

started by Metropolitan Institute on 04 Jan 12 no follow-up yet
Metropolitan Institute

"Modeling the Relationship among Brownfields, Property Values, and community Revitaliza... - 1 views

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    Leigh, Nancey Green, and Sarah L. Coffin (2005). "Modeling the Relationship among Brownfields, Property Values, and community Revitalization. Housing Policy Debate." 16(2), 257-280. Abstract: "The main focus in redeveloping brownfields is on the most marketable properties, typically found in the healthiest urban neighborhoods. As evidenced by the rapid redevelopment that many communities are experiencing, this approach is helping to return brownfields to productive use. Yet not all brownfields are being cleaned up, nor are there enough resources to do so soon. Thus, from the perspective of community revitalization and of economic justice, we need to ask whether it matters which properties in which neighborhoods are receiving these scarce funds. That is, does the existence of brownfields in a neighborhood affect residential property values and capacity for revitalization? To answer these questions, we use hedonic modeling to determine the impact of brownfields on property values in Atlanta and Cleveland. Our results suggest that short‐term economic efficiency is neither the most appropriate nor the only criterion on which to base public investment decisions for remediation."
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