Module 3: Downtown Development

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MODULE

Seminar in Urban Problems

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University of Memphis Department of Public &

Nonprofit Administration

Edwards & Imrie (2015) Chapters 5 & 6

3

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CHAPTER 5: COMMUNITY PLANNING AND PARTNERSHIP

Edwards & Imrie (2015) The Short Guide to Urban Policy

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Community Planning and Partnership

 Renew/improve cities through community engagement

 How do to it?

Note: Reminder that several parts of this book discuss urban policy outside of the U.S. Most of the examples in this chapter focus on community-based urban policy in the United Kingdom (UK).

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Community Planning and Partnership Defining Community

 What is community?  Complex term with socially constructed boundaries  Often seen as positive concept – used by policy-

makers to spur change (e.g., “there is a breakdown in our community, so we need to act)

 4 common conceptualizations:  Community as a place/geography (e.g., Memphis)  Community as an interest group (e.g., Black

community)  Community organizations (e.g., nonprofits)  Community as process (e.g., community development)

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Community Planning and Partnership Community & the Urban Problem

 ~19th century urbanization was described as antithesis of “community”  Conceptualization of the urban “community” was

different than the rural “community”  Urban policy typically targets “communities” to

encourage citizens to participate in urban regeneration, or create “community”

 Shift in urban policy from social community regeneration (prior late 1970s) to economic community regeneration (post late 1970s)

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Community Planning and Partnership Reinvigorating Community in the 1990s

 Communitarianism – idea that collective bonds with those around us are important to prevent social exclusion, which leads to urban decline

 Build social capital – linkages that connect people – to build urban renewal

 Communities should be given the responsibility to drive change

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Community Planning and Partnership Putting Community Activation into Practice

 Community-based urban policy changes governance – private (for-profit and non- profit) organizations have more seats at the governing table

 Level of community-involvement can vary substantially from policy to policy – from “add-ons” to “key partners”

 All communities (neighborhoods) do not have the existing expertise, knowledge, or ability to engage in policy-making

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Community Planning and Partnership Critiquing Community Involvement in Regeneration

 Unanswered questions –  Is community involvement in policy-making

simply tokenism by government or is it of actual value?

 Is the policy implemented with the level of community involvement intended in the spirit of the policy?

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Community Planning and Partnership Critiquing Community Involvement in Regeneration

 Looking for answers –  Who represents the community?  “Community” as conceptualized by policy-makers and

implementers often differs from those living in the community

 Who sets the rules for participation?  Policy-makers (city or broader) often continue to

create the top-down rules for engagement  How is power distributed in community

partnerships?  “Expert” knowledge tends to be prioritized over

“localized” knowledge

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Privatization & Entrepreneurial Urban Policy Web Links

 British Library – Community Development and Regeneration  https://www.bl.uk/social-

welfare/collection- items?allportalsubjects=community%20de velopment%20and%20regeneration

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CHAPTER 6: CULTURE & THE CREATIVE CITY

Edwards & Imrie (2015) The Short Guide to Urban Policy

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Culture & the Creative City

 Key to modern urban policy is promoting the city’s culture and creativity to improve well-being (economic and social)  Festivals, sport facilities and events, “place-

marketing”  General idea – cultural strategies lead to

economic development  Critical question – who benefits from this

policy and what who does the policy attract to the city?

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Culture & the Creative City: Origins of Culture-Led Urban Policy & Regen

 Growing trend since late 20th century to market/promote culture to grow the city

 For many it was a part of a “reinventing” process after loss of manufacturing industry – adapting to a post-industrial world

 Challenged traditional urban planning with a shot of innovation

 New “cultural” industries (i.e., the arts) to attract – fashion, design, music, film, etc.

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Culture & the Creative City: Origins of Culture-Led Urban Policy & Regen  Florida’s “Creative Class” (2002)  General idea – to thrive cities need to

attract new class of educated professionals who work in post- industrial tech, knowledge, and cultural industries; to attract them cities need to cater to their “bohemian” lifestyle (three “T’s”)

 Highly influential, but controversial  Blamed for (or contributed to) large

influx of gentrification and increasing inequality in the 21st century city

 U.S counties by “creativity index”

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Culture & the Creative City: Deploying Culture: Strategies & Practices

 Not one specific “cultural promotion” policy, multiple initiatives and strategies

 Culture defined as art vs. culture defined as society – different policy approaches

 Typical goal is that these policies lead to economic consumption (e.g., coffee shops, shopping/retail, nightlife, etc.) and vibrant public spaces  Typically creates neighborhood pockets

(“cultural quarters” – see figure 6.7, p. 162)  Culture and fads change, is it sustainable?

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Culture & the Creative City: Deploying Culture: Strategies & Practices

 Flagship urban development  Revitalizing urban areas with large

construction and architecture projects (such as inner city, waterfront, etc.)

 “…even the most landlocked cities have done their best to find some sort of waterfront” (p. 163)

 Place-marketing (“re-branding”)  Promote distinctive cultural features that set

apart the city, attract investment  Brand decay? Does the image represent all

local identities?

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Culture & the Creative City: Deploying Culture: Strategies & Practices

 Cultural Events and Festivals  Large-scale, short-term events that attract

tourism and investment  Also used to increase concept of

“community”, improve social bonds, and reduce social exclusion

 Example – Memphis in May  Example – soccer stadium in Chester, PA  Competitive example – Olympic Games

bidding process

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Culture & the Creative City: Debating Culture-led Urban Policy

 What much weight should we put into cultural-led regeneration efforts?  Exists a knowledge gap in actual impact –

both economic and social  Further exploration needed in trickle-down

effects and sustainability of efforts  Multiple different types of strategies (i.e.,

policies) that fall within this “bucket” with multiple different outcomes

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Culture & the Creative City: Debating Culture-led Urban Policy

“The evidence shows that community- based participatory cultural projects are likely to be far more beneficial in sustaining urban regeneration, but in the eyes of city marketers and management, such projects are less glamorous and unlikely to project a city onto the world stage.” (p. 170)

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Culture & the Creative City: Debating Culture-led Urban Policy

 Whose culture is being promoted?  Tension between successful cultural

marketing (what attracts economic development) and real social inclusion (what brings all people together)

 Not always mutually exclusive, but can be  Political power struggles lie at the center of

this question

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Culture & the Creative City: Debating Culture-led Urban Policy

 Does cultural marketing eventually result in “sameness” promotion?  All cities are promoting the same type of

cultural regeneration which “homogenizes urban environments”

 Fast policy transfer – X policy worked in City A so why can’t it work in City B; flawed logic

 Florida’s creative class thesis neglects importance of city context in policymaking and implementation

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Culture & the Creative City: Web Links

 Charles Landry (prolific author on creative cities  https://charleslandry.com/about-charles-

landry/biography/

 Urban Studies Special Issue on Culture- led Regeneration  https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/usja/42/

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