Economic Development in American Cities: The Pursuit of an Equity Agenda

258 Pages·2007·2.52 MB·English

by  Michael Isaiah Bennett

Economic
Development
in American
Cities
the pursuit of an equity agenda
Edited by Michael I. J. Bennett and Robert P. Giloth
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
IN AMERICAN CITIES
SUNY SERIES IN URBAN PUBLIC POLICY
C. Theodore Koebel and Diane L. Zahm, editors
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
IN
AMERICAN CITIES
The Pursuit of an Equity Agenda
Edited by
Michael I. J. Bennett
Robert P. Giloth
State University of New York Press
Published by
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS,
Albany
© 2007 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any
form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the
publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Production, Laurie Searl
Marketing, Michael Campochiaro
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Economic development in American cities : the pursuit of an equity agenda / edited by
Michael I. J. Bennett, Robert P. Giloth.
p. cm. — (SUNY series, Studies in urban public policy)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7914-7133-3 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Cities and towns—United States. 2. Urban policy—United States—Case studies.
3. Urban economics. 4. Sociology, Urban—United States. I. Bennett, Michael I. J.,
1944– II. Giloth, Robert.
HT123.E284 2007
307.760973—dc22 2006032531
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction: Full Employment and Local Workforce
Politics and Policies 1
Robert P. Giloth
Chapter 1
Investing in Equity: Targeted Economic Development
for Neighborhoods and Cities 23
Robert P. Giloth
Chapter 2
Equity Policies and Practices of the Harold Washington
Administration: Lessons for Progressive Cities 51
Stephen J. Alexander
Chapter 3
Reflections on Austin in the 1990s: Economic Development through
Workforce Initiatives 81
Robert W. Glover, Dan O’Shea, and Christopher T. King
Chapter 4
Seattle’s Best Practices in the 1990s: Municipal-Led Economic
and Workforce Development 111
Bob Watrus and Jodi Haavig
Chapter 5
The Cleveland Experience: Municipal-Led Economic and
Workforce Initiatives during the 1990s 133
Norman Krumholz and Daniel E. Berry
Chapter 6
Rochester: Two Faces of Regionalism, 1993–2006 159
Pierre Clavel
CONTENTS
vi
Chapter 7
The Savannah Story: The Road to Equity and Sustainable
Community Development 189
Henry Moore and Christopher Morrill
Chapter 8
Social Equity and Twenty-First Century Cities 213
Michael I. J. Bennett and Robert P. Giloth
Contributors 237
Index 243
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book was inspired by the vision and commitment of the late Chicago
Mayor Harold Washington and his administrative team. Their efforts in
forging an equity agenda during the 1980s served as a model for progressive
municipal government leaders throughout the country in that era and the
decade to follow. The book would not have come to be without the partici-
pation of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Foundation provided a series
of generous grants to underwrite the research and compilation of the case
studies and the final manuscript.
We also want to thank the following individuals: former U.S. Secretary
of Labor Ray Marshall and former Mayor Bruce Todd for their general and
specific contributions in shaping the Austin case; Marie Ann Sliwinski and
Bijan Warner for their valuable research assistance; and Linda Levendusky,
Sarah Korhonen, Ed Hatcher, Tom Waldron, Helena Teklehaimanot, and
Noah Temaner Jenkins for their crucial editing of the manuscript.
Each author who crafted the substantive material that became this
book deserves special recognition for both their written contributions and
their camaraderie throughout the entire project. We owe an additional note
of gratitude to Pierre Clavel for reviewing and providing working feedback
on the manuscript.
Finally, there is Henry Moore, our friend and colleague who passed
away prior to publication. Beyond his written contribution to this book,
Henry led a life that exemplified the monumental impact one progressive
municipal administrator could have in the pursuit of an equity agenda. He
will be greatly missed.
vii

INTRODUCTION
FULL EMPLOYMENT AND LOCAL
WORKFORCE POLITICS AND POLICIES
Robert P. Giloth
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EQUITY
Twentieth-century U.S. cities played decisive roles in promoting equity and
opportunity for their citizens. Cities were the sources of important municipal
innovations as well as the social, political, and economic battlegrounds for
advancing more equitable policies and conditions. The reaffirmation and
extension of civil rights, the development of a social safety net, and sus-
tained economic growth made cities and metropolitan areas the laboratories
for creating more diverse, tolerant, and equitable communities. Nevertheless,
income inequality has grown in the United States by at least 12 percent,
income gains and employment still lag for African American young men,
and the Hurricane Katrina evacuation and aftermath have vividly shown the
impact of social, economic, and racial disparities on our basic security and
quality of life.
Economic Development in American Cities: The Pursuit of an Equity Agenda
anticipates the roles of municipal leaders and civic partners for promoting
social equity in the twenty-first century by examining the experiences of a
handful of cities in the 1990s. In particular, we reflect on the potential of
existing and future labor and skill shortages for contributing to creating the
preconditions for new local political regimes built around economic competi-
tiveness and equity. That is, we are interested in whether the economic im-
peratives of tight regional labor markets translate into new civic organizing
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