The cities of Lowell and New Bedford in Massachusetts, Jamestown in New York, and McKeesport in Pennsylvania have all undergone years of adversity and decline, their economic bases having been badly damaged by structural changes in the national economy, particularly in the manufacturing sector. In situations like these, can local development efforts make a difference? Ross Gittell answers in the affirmative. This interdisciplinary work focuses on comparative case studies of the four cities. The book reveals how public, private, and community-based local economic development initiatives affect local economic performance: what works and what does not work. City leaders and institutions can help reorganize and "reshuffle" local resources, with results that include increased investment, greater effort by local individuals and institutions, more cooperation among different development interests, and improvement in city economic positioning relative to the regional economy and local development cycles. Gittell emphasizes the possibility of shifting from a "zero-sum game" (attracting jobs from elsewhere) toward the goal of converting underutilized local resources to higher-value uses through alternative forms of economic and political organization. Originally published in 1992. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The book offers a model for city development and renewal based on land value capture (called ‘value capture’). Firstly, a review is presented of cities around the world that are currently using value capture. From these city examples the author shows how any state, city or regional government can adopt value capture policies. Looking at recent events the author reviews the implications of the coronavirus pandemic (2020) for future planning (including value capture) of cities and regions (particularly noting healthy cities planning). The development of a value capture planning (VCP) model is then outlined. The basis of the model is reflected in its planning components, being: Housing (affordable, social and market housing); Public and Open Spaces (natural areas, open spaces and public spaces); and, Sustainable Transport (rail, bus, and active transport). The VCP model is devised to provide an economic and planning tool that can be utilised in addressing each of these planning components. This tool includes data entry tables and explanations of how these tables are applied. Four case study cities (within Australia) currently undergoing renewal are selected for the model to be applied to. The areas were chosen to represent contrasting urban settings and types of development and renewal, including: inner city, middle ring city; growth centre city; and, regional capital city. The current (2020) active renewal programs within these areas include (city in brackets): Central to Eveleigh Renewal Area (CERA) (City of Sydney); Sydenham to Bankstown Urban Renewal Corridor (SBURC) (Canterbury Bankstown City); Gosford City Centre Revitalisation (GCCR) area (Gosford City); and, Newcastle City Renewal Area (NCRA) (Newcastle City). The reader is walked through (graphically) the backgrounds of these case study cities, including geography, development trends and details of renewal plans. Conclusions on the VCP model application are outlined for each study area (within that chapter) and for the cumulative results across all study areas (final chapter). With these conclusions, the application of the model to any city or region anywhere in the world is outlined. Finally, on a practical level the reader would be interested in how value capture is administered through programs (including the roles of government, developers and the community). Summing up, the book offers the reader an understanding of current city planning and the tools (like value capture) that will be required for future planning.

Community developer and urban activist Robert D. Lupton looks to the Old Testament example of Nehemiah as a role model for community transformation and renewal.