The politics of place : contentious urban redevelopment in Pittsburgh

In urban America, large-scale redevelopment is a frequent news item. Many proposals for such redevelopment are challenged--sometimes successfully, and other times to no avail. The Politics of Place considers the reasons for these outcomes by examining five cases of contentious redevelopment in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, between 1949 and 2000. In four of these cases, the challengers to redevelopment failed to create the conditions necessary for strong democratic participation. In the fifth case--the proposed reconstruction of Pittsburgh's downtown retail district (1997-2000)--challengers succeeded, and Crowley describes the crucial role of independent nonprofit organizations in bringing about this result. At the heart of Crowley's discussion are questions central to any urban redevelopment debate: Who participates in urban redevelopment, what motivates them to do so, and what structures in the political process open or close a democratic dialogue among the stakeholders? Through his astute analysis, Crowley answers these questions and posits a framework through which to view future contention in urban redevelopment. In urban America, large-scale redevelopment is a frequent news item. Many proposals for such redevelopment are challenged--sometimes successfully, and other times to no avail. *The Politics of Place* considers the reasons for these outcomes by examining five cases of contentious redevelopment in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, between 1949 and 2000. In four of these cases, the challengers to redevelopment failed to create the conditions necessary for strong democratic participation. In the fifth case--the proposed reconstruction of Pittsburgh's downtown retail district (1997-2000)--challengers succeeded, and Gregory J. Crowley describes the crucial role of independent nonprofit organizations in bringing about this result. At the heart of Crowley's discussion are questions central to any urban redevelopment debate: Who participates in urban redevelopment, what motivates them to do so, and what structures in the political process open or close a democratic dialogue among the stakeholders? Crowley answers these questions and posits a framework based on integrated research in urban politics, urban sociology, and social movements through which to view future contention in urban redevelopment. Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Contentious Urban Redevelopment: A Research Perspective Urban Restructuring and the Formation of an Urban Growth Coalition, 1920-1947 Contentious Politics of Neighborhood Redevelopment, 1949-1960 Another Wave of Urban Restructuring and Governing Realignments, 1970-1997 Contentious Politics of Downtown Revitalization, 1997-2000 Contentious Urban Redevelopment and Strong Democracy Appendix Notes Bibliography Index "The Rise of Modern Yiddish Culture explores the transformation of Yiddish from a low-status vernacular to the medium of a complex modern culture, and examines the efforts of east European Jews to establish their linguistic distinctiveness as part of their struggle for national survival in the diaspora."--Jacket Using Five Case Studies Of Redevelopment In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Gregory Crowley Addresses Important Issues In Urban Redevelopment And Provides A Framework Through Which To View Future Contention.