Evaluates the impact of equity investments in five cities during the 1990s.

Evaluates the impact of equity investments in five cities during the 1990s.

Economic Development in American Cities addresses the roles of municipal leaders and civic partners in promoting social equity by examining the experiences of five American cities in the 1990s-Austin, Cleveland, Rochester, Savannah, and Seattle. These five cities were chosen for their activist municipal administrations, robust policy agendas, and viable partnerships. Contributors familiar with each city evaluate the impact of equity investments and extract lessons for municipal leaders and policy agendas. Building on the past experiences of progressive cities, each case study city offers fresh perspectives and examples, told through a rigorous analysis of socioeconomic data and program outcomes combined with engaging stories about specific municipal administrations and policy agendas.

Michael I. J. Bennett is Associate Professor of Sociology and Executive Director of the Monsignor John J. Egan Urban Center at DePaul University. He is the coeditor (with John P. Koval, Larry Bennett, Fassil Demissie, Roberta Garner, and Koljoong Kim) of The New Chicago: A Social and Cultural Analysis. Robert P. Giloth is Director of Family Economic Success at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. He is the editor of Workforce Development Politics: Civic Capacity and Performance; Workforce Intermediaries for the Twenty-first Century; and Jobs and Economic Development: Strategies and Practices.

"This collection tries to address the roles of municipal leaders and civic partners in promoting social equity by examining the experiences of five American cities in the 1990s … Building on the past experiences of progressive cities, each study city offers fresh perspectives and examples told through a rigorous analysis of socioeconomic data and program results." — Abstracts of Public Administration, Development, and Environment

"Students and practitioners/policy makers … will discover much that will inform their thinking about urban growth issues." — CHOICE

"This book provides several well-documented case studies on the evolution of central city development strategies with strong equity components, highlighting the impact of local political institutions affecting citizen participation and interactions among urban stakeholders." — Michael Craw, James Madison College