Making a Place for Community: Local Democracy in a Global Era - Softcover

Williamson, Thad

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415947413 ISBN 13: 9780415947411

Publisher: Routledge, 2003

Synopsis

When pundits refer to the death of community, they are speaking of a number of social ills, which include, but are not limited to, the general increase in isolation and cynicism of our citizens, widespread concerns about declining political participation and membership in civic organizations, and periodic outbursts of small town violence. Making a Place for Community argues that this death of community is being caused by contemporary policies that, if not changed, will continue to foster the decline of community. Increased capital flow between nations is not at the root of the problem, however, increased capital flow within our nation is. Small towns shouldn't have to hope for a prison to open nearby and downtown centers shouldn't sit empty as suburban sparwl encroaches, but they do and it's a result of widely agreed upon public policies.

About this title

Review

"An indispensable primer for the new century.."
-From the foreword by Benjamin Barber, author of Jihad v. McWorld
"Replete with theoretical insights, strong substantive arguments and thoughtful policy analyses.."
-William Julius Wilson, author of When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor
"An Illuminating and rigorous tour of the existing landscape of community life and the ongoing efforts to foster development. It is a terrific catalogue of promising ideas.."
-William Greider, author of One World, Ready or Not: The Manic Logic of Global Capitalism
"Essential reading for every city, country and state official and engaged citizen and an invaluable reference source to which they will return for years to come.."
-David C. Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World

Synopsis

Scenes from small-town America in the 21st century: Downtown shops are boarded up as Wal-Marts sprawl across the landscape. Factories close, lured to the next state by government handouts. Traffic jams snarl country roads. Yet, for every declining Hartford, CT there's a boomtown like Athens, GA. Why? What is wrong with our communities? The problem, argue the authors of this visionary work, is not in our lack of civic pride but in the "triple threat" our towns and cities face: globalization, the chase for jobs and the challenge of sprawl. These forces-which we created with misguided policies-destroy not only local democracy, but America's long-term economic health. Grounded in decades of research, Making a Place for Community offers brilliant solutions that defy conventional wisdom. Without busting the budget and halting development, the authors' smart new policies and grass-roots solutions, from land trusts to local ownership, show how to reign in sprawl and anchor jobs in the community. Until we face the issues of decay and isolation at the local level, any attempts to "revitalize" downtown or restore "family values" are sure to fail.

Making a Place for Community is a vivid blueprint for rebuilding the heart of American life--its towns and cities.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0415947413
• ISBN 13: 9780415947411
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 430