Kategoria BISAC: Political Science >> Public Policy - City Planning & Urban Development

As more and more families lose their homes to foreclosure, affordable housing is very much in the public eye. Across the country, lawmakers and community development organizations scramble to create affordable, decent places to live for the millions in need. Yet affordable housing remains poorly understood and widely controversial, with even experienced professionals finding it difficult to navigate the maze of legal and financial complications that surround it. With "A Decent Home," housing expert Alan Mallach disentangles the issues and breaks down the jargon, offering professionals and...

Those involved in urban neighborhood and community research with an applied focus will find in this volume a number of useful and practical examples of how to do it. . . . The modesty with which some of the results is presented is refreshing, and the candor with which the authors treat their shortcomings is commendable. Several authors make it quite clear that good research does not necessarily produce the best information for those working to improve the social fabric of urban communities. On the other hand, there is a certain amount of optimism in these essays for those who want to see...

This work examines the main economic trends affecting rural areas today and the types of local programs that are being implemented in response. The lessening of federal government involvement since the Reagan administration has shifted the public policy focus, placing greater responsibility for economic development on local governments. With more states encountering financial austerity, even greater requirements for economic development activities will rest with local governments--especially in rural areas. The long-term effects of these developments on states and localities are analyzed,...

This sure-to-be-controversial work examines the failure of city planning in America, the results of that failure as seen in the day-to-day lives of our cities, and the reasons behind that failure. Hommann contends that, although desperately needed, by and large city planning has no effect on urban development in this country where developers are supreme. For the most part, local planners must deal with a daily fiction regarding their involvement in developmental decisions, a fiction that ultimately drives many into alternate pursuits. After tracing the history of American development and...

Chen provides an analysis of the political economy of rural development in China during the reform era. Revolving around the central theme of statecraft, Chen's study gives a concise and comprehensive treatment of the interaction of ideology and politics with central policy and economic growth. He examines China's economic reform in historical perspective, characterizes China's economic and political transformation since the reform, and proposes that the Chinese Communist Party is being transformed into a party of economics while China's ideology is becoming market-oriented communal...

An encyclopedic dictionary that treats organizations, persons, and federal legislation that document the history of grass-roots community organizing. Focusing on neighborhood associations in the US from the 1880s to the present, the work includes more than 100 signed entries, which average one to two pages each. Numerous cross-references and thorough name and subject indexes are included. . . . The] excellent bibliographic essay by Robert Fisher contains] 12 pages of accessible books, articles, and papers on the topic as a whole and by time period. The editor has also provided a useful...

Although many scholars have emphasized the shortcomings of federal housing programs, few have examined their successes and failures on a case-by-case empirical basis. With the possibility that federal involvement in housing may increase in the future, we need to have more precise knowledge of what works, what does not, and why. Donald Rosenthal's new book is the first study to focus on the Section 8 Neighborhood Strategy Area program (NSA)--one of the last major housing initiatives of the Carter administration. Reporting on his extensive field research, the author examines the development...

This study examines a particularly successful rural development program: the partnership of the Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) and the small farmers of northern Pakistan. The Aga Khan Rural Support Program was established in 1982 to act as a catalyst for the development of rural people living in the high mountain valleys of the Himalayas, Karakorum, and Hindu Kush. The experiment is based upon the premise that rural people can improve their economic and social status through organization at the village level. This experiment in regional development--affecting the lives of nearly...

How can depressed communities be upgraded? One approach is to import settlers with higher incomes. In a unique experiment in Israel, this approach was utilized, and the results are the focus of the Ayalon, Ben-Rafael, and Yogev study.

The three authors examine the costs and benefits of an experiment in community change in Mobiltown. The experiment, which brought higher status people to a poor community, is evaluated on the basis of surveys, indepth interviews, and observations. The research shows that the experiment has mainly resulted in the status enhancement of the community as a...

Making Cities Work brings together leading writers and scholars on urban America to offer critical perspectives on how to sustain prosperous, livable cities in today's fast-evolving economy. Successful cities provide jobs, quality schools, safe and clean neighborhoods, effective transportation, and welcoming spaces for all residents. But cities must be managed well if they are to remain attractive places to work, relax, and raise a family; otherwise residents, firms, and workers will leave and the social and economic advantages of city living will be lost.

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