Downtown, Inc. : How America Rebuilds Cities [Hardcover]

Bernard J. Frieden (Author), Lynne B. Sagalyn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1989

Pioneering observers of the urban landscape Bernard Frieden and Lynn Sagalyn delve into the inner workings of the new public entrepreneurship and public private partnerships that have revitalized the downtowns of such cities as Boston, San Diego, Seattle, St. Paul, and Pasadena.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The authors, professors of urban studies at MIT, present a brief for inner-city revitalization projects such as Boston's Faneuil Hall marketplace, the Horton Place complex in San Diego and retail centers in Seattle and St. Paul. Critics have branded such projects artificial enclaves that turn city residents into tourists and favor corporate interests at the expense of the citizenry. The authors strongly disagree, arguing that downtown retail developments create jobs, promote economic development and reassert middle-class control over crumbling areas. They further contend that, given federal funding cutbacks, cities have no other pragmatic course than to make deals with coalitions of real estate developers and business interests. A book for specialists, the study is full of details on the financing and politics that undergird downtown rebuilding schemes. Photos.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Urban retail malls such as Quincy Market in Boston and Baltimore's Harborplace have garnered both applause and criticism. This book examines, from a variety of angles, the phenomenon of new retail construction in cities. Begun as a series of case studies for university class use, this book also explores how city officials worked with developers to bring mall-style retail centers downtown. In doing so, politics and business were brought together in new, productive ways: "The new methods for managing downtown development were almost as much of an achievement as the rebuilding itself." The bibliographic essay is a gold mine of resources on topics from shopping centers to city development politics. For large public and academic libraries.
- Diane K. Harvey, Johns Hopkins Univ. Lib., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 398 pages
• Publisher: Mit Pr; First edition (November 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262061287
• ISBN-13: 978-0262061285
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #630,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful starpoint for urban studies!, October 4, 2000

By 

Fernando Levy Hara - See all my reviews

This review is from: Downtown, Inc.: How America Rebuilds Cities (Paperback)

Here we have a very interesting investigation about the stories of the american cities and specially its downtowns, how they have growned, its shinning past and its following falldown. We can learn about very brilliant redevelopment projects that are intending to rebuild and to regain once again progress and live to some parts of the modern cities that have been in a great depression since long decades of desinvestments. It is very important to take in accounts the stories very well written by the authors about how the joining between public and privates forces is the only way to rebulit american ( and everywhere) abandoned downtowns!