Even as postindustrial cities have climbed from the depths of decline in the twenty-first century, they have witnessed a cruel paradox: with prosperity has come greater inequality. Tracing the origins and effects of uneven revitalization, this book examines the genesis of America's second urban crisis and prospects for its resolution.
Howard Gillette, Jr. is Professor of History Emeritus at Rutgers University-Camden.
"Gillette superbly draws a set of nine urban portraits, cities
addressing the tensions between economic development, equity, and
community engagement...[C]ities can and should do more than what
they are doing to balance the three goals of equity, economic
development, and community engagement. They can benefit from
implementation lessons described in this book. Howard Gillette has
helped us understand the limits of what can be accomplished at the
metropolitan level to resolve tensions between these three
goals."
*Housing Studies*
"[A] welcome addition to canonical urban planning history and
theory...Gillette shows how local government policymaking can make
a difference and that there are ways—albeit imperfect—to counter
growth machine politics of corporate subsidies and creative-class
hangouts. Gillette advances that a paradox of 'progress' is
grinding poverty and dispossession. Contemporary city leaders must
intentionally harness urban growth toward more equitable
development. Experts and non-experts alike have much to learn from
that frame."
*Journal of the American Planning Association*
"The Paradox of Urban Revitalization is a welcome addition to the
urban planning history and theory canon. Through an in-depth,
multi-city empirical examination, Gillette discusses urban
revitalization in the context of American cities' changing
governance arrangements. The paradox advanced by Gillette is that
urban revitalization geared to wealthier, whiter residents
occasions displacement and deepening inequality for long-time
working-class residents and residents of color. Gillette shows how
local government policymaking can make a difference and that there
are ways — albeit imperfect — to counter growth machine politics of
corporate subsidies and creative class hangouts."
*Planning Magazine*
"In this ambitious case study, urban historian Gillette locates the
origins of the modern civil rights reckoning within the context of
urban crisis and the problems posed by efforts to revitalize
postindustrial spaces...The Paradox of Urban Revitalization is a
critical text for scholars interested in the complex relationship
between structural racism and city policies."
*Choice*
"Howard Gillette, Jr. is one of our most important American urban
historians. Here he digs his razor sharp analytical and empirical
teeth into understanding the ‘new urban crisis’ of profoundly
uneven economic growth. He centers much of his analysis on local
politics and policies, which are central to today’s urban
inequality drama, yet he carefully embeds his modern-day analysis
within a historic context of old urban renewal patterns and
inequitable outcomes. This careful historical approach makes clear
that today’s urban inequalities and uprisings are part of a
consistent pattern of past urban development and policy pursuits.
The Paradox of Urban Revitalization is a must read for those
interested in urban America and its persistent racial
inequality."
*Derek Hyra, American University*
"The Paradox of Urban Revitalization provides an overview of the
technical and political complexities of urban development,
supplying the reader, and particularly students, with critical
insights into the aspirations and challenges of activating the
benefits of growth together with the reparative assets of equity
and inclusion."
*Toni Griffin, Harvard University*
"In The Paradox of Urban Revitalization, Gillette brilliantly
explores the stubborn linkage between poverty and progress, as well
as the failure of inclusive development. Although cities have
instituted various strategies to tackle racial inequities, he finds
that even the ones he considers adopting the best programs are
falling short. Gillette concludes that without a fundamental
transformation of the prevailing political economy of racial
capitalism, local efforts will not be enough to close the wealth
gap."
*Edward Muller, University of Pittsburgh*
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