Urban Affairs Review current issue

Annexation, Local Government Spending, and the Complicating Role of Density

Edwards, M. M., Yu Xiao, — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:49:46 PDT

Annexation is often touted as a strategy to improve the overall fiscal environment of a municipality. The empirical literature on the role of annexation in municipal finance, however, has yielded inconsistent results. This article examines annexation in nearly 1,000 municipalities for its effects on local government spending. Results show that spending is influenced by annexation, but the effects on spending are complicated by accompanying changes in municipal density levels. If annexation is accompanied by higher densities, the local government will certainly experience lower increases in per-capita spending levels. However, if annexation is accompanied by lower densities, the local government may or may not experience lower increases in per-capita spending levels, depending on changes in land area relative to changes in density.

From "Blighted" to "Historic": Race, Economic Development, and Historic Preservation in San Diego, California

Saito, L. T. — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:49:46 PDT

Using the example of three buildings in San Diego, the author examines the negotiations between city officials and local residents over competing images of race and history. He shows how the outcomes of these negotiations are used to support and legitimate economic development and historic preservation policies. His main point is that although policies are depicted as race neutral, the results are often racialized. This happens because of the tendency of routine, institutional processes to recognize the history of White communities rather than those of racial minorities, contributing to whiteness. As part of the process of racial formation, activists counter labels of minority neighborhoods as "blighted" and "slums" with the view that they are attractive centers of business, culture, and tourism.

The Distinct Patterns of Organized and Elected Representation of Racial and Ethnic Groups

Reckhow, S. — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:49:46 PDT

Studies of minority political incorporation have demonstrated that advocacy organizations are critical for advancing minority electoral success and policy change. Drawing on an original data set of 30 midsized U.S. cities, the author evaluates the extent of organized representation of racial and ethnic groups and the effect of organized representation on elected representation. Latinos and Asian-Americans both have greater numbers of local advocacy organizations as the groups’ proportion of the population increases. Yet many cities with sizable African-American populations have a lower density of advocacy organizations than cities with fewer African-Americans. A smaller field of organizations increases elected representation for African-Americans but not for Latinos.

Local Political Institutions and Smart Growth: An Empirical Study of the Politics of Compact Development

Ramirez de la Cruz, E. E. — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:49:46 PDT

Using Florida survey data from 2002 and 2007, this article seeks to determine the characteristics of local governments that make them more or less inclined to engage in smart growth-related land-use regulations. The study draws on a range of theoretical traditions to motivate an empirical model of policy adoption, emphasizing the interaction between interest group politics and local political institutions as the primary explanatory factors. In addition, the article differentiates between types of smart growth regulations designed to promote a key smart growth principle—compact development—in terms of their redistributive consequences. The study finds some support for the notion that the adoption of smart growth practices is affected by the activism of interest groups and their interaction with local political institutions.

What Does Sustainability Mean to City Officials?

Zeemering, E. S. — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:49:46 PDT

Sustainability has become a popular concept influencing the work of community and economic development officials in city governments. However, the term sustainability lacks conceptual clarity, and a variety of programs could advance sustainability goals. Given this problem, this study asks, What does sustainability mean to city economic development officials? Q-methodology is used to identify which aspects of sustainability are most important to a sample of city officials in the San Francisco Bay Area. Three patterns of importance were identified, exhibiting emphases on urban design, traditional economic development, and civic engagement. Understanding the multiple meanings of sustainability for local government officials will be critical as city officials seek to advance this new priority for local governments and as scholars evaluate the implementation of urban sustainability programs.

Revisiting Black Incorporation and Local Political Participation

Spence, L. K., McClerking, H. K., Brown, R. — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:49:46 PDT

Testing the proposition that electing black mayors has a positive effect on black political participation, scholars found that black incorporation historically lead to increased black political engagement. However, the research that examines whether length of mayoral tenure influences black political participation is limited. We test this proposition using the 1993—1994 National Black Politics Study. Our findings suggest long-term political incorporation decreases local black political participation while it increases voting for President. However, as the black population percentage of a city rises, local black political participation increases. These findings extend the research on the effect of political incorporation on participation by considering political and demographic context and by engaging in intraracial rather than interracial comparisons.

Book Review: Bureaus of Efficiency: Reforming Local Government in the Progressive Era by Mordecai Lee. (Milwaukee: Marquette University Press, 2008), 292 pgs., $30.00 (paperback)

Scavo, C. — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:49:46 PDT

Book Review: Wilbur C. Rich, David Dinkins and New York City Politics: Race, Images, and the Media, by Wilbur C. Rich. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2006. 239 pp. $35.00 (cloth)

Kaufmann, K. M. — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:49:46 PDT

Book Review: Revisiting Rental Housing: Policies, Programs, and Priorities by Nicholas P. Retsinas and Eric S. Belsky (Eds.). Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 2008. 370 pp. $29.95 (paper)

Varady, D. P. — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:49:46 PDT

Book Review: Cities in a Time of Terror: Space, Territory, and Local Resilience, by H. V. Savitch. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, 2007. 296 pp. $89.95 (cloth); $34.95 (paper)

Gupta, D. K. — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:49:46 PDT

Statement of Editorial Policy

Clarke, S. E., Pagano, M. A. — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:49:46 PDT