Making a Place for Community: Local Democracy in a Global Era [Hardcover]

Thad Williamson (Author), David Imbroscio (Author), Gar Alperovitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 6, 2002

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

One of the basic tensions within capitalism, argue the three political scientist authors, is between the desire "to preserve, sustain, and strengthen geographically defined communities over time" and the opposing, usually economic, idea that "public policy should seek to facilitate individual and business mobility, no matter what the costs." They pinpoint three "threats" that towns and cities face: the increase in globalization and free trade, the instability of securing and keeping jobs in a specific locality, and the rapid increase of urban sprawl. While filled with copious facts, data and economic theory, the book never loses sight of, and is driven by, its deeply humanitarian purpose-"the principle of nurturing just, sustainable, and secure communities" both in the U.S. and abroad. Holding to that principle requires, the authors argue, radically revising a foundation of contemporary economic thinking-that business interests necessarily will eventually serve humanitarian ones. (Sept. 16)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Comprehensive, balanced, and well documented, Making a Place for Community is a monumental collection of valuable research, experience, data and policy guidance on building strong local economies. Essential reading for every city, county and state official and engaged citizen and an invaluable reference source to which they will return for years to come.lo--David C. Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World.
The restoration of American democracy will begin--if it begins at all--in the lives of communities, not Washington DC or state capitals. Making a Place for Community provides 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.lo--William Greider, author of One World, Ready or Not: The Manic Logic of Global Capitalism.
A breathtaking synthesis of the latest research on the essential role of strong community economies in revitalizing American democracy. It contains hundreds of exciting examples of successful policies, businesses, and movements that demonstrate that localization IS a viable alternative to perils of globalization. Every local politicians, policymakers, and activist should read, understand, and use this book..
–Michael H. Shuman, author of Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age

Students interested in the intersection of social science and social policy must read this important book. The authors¹ vision of the adverse impact of globalization, internal capital mobility, and suburban sprawl on American communities is compelling. This vision provides the basis for a new and comprehensive policy agenda to achieve community economic stability and for understanding why such stability is so important for the future of American democracy. Making a Place for Community is 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 indispensable primer for the new century..
–From the foreword by Benjamin Barber, author of Jihad v. McWorld

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 424 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (September 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415933560
• ISBN-13: 978-0415933568
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,230,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for serious political activists, May 23, 2004

By A Customer

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This review is from: Making a Place for Community: Local Democracy in a Global Era (Paperback)

This is one of the first books to tie together disparate concerns about globalization, job loss at home, and suburban sprawl into a coherent theoretical and practical framework. It's also an incredibly informative and hopeful look at the ways local communities can use alternative economic structures to provide jobs that are really rooted in communities. This book does more than just critique the system--it offers serious ideas about a positive vision for the movement. A must read--

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "Go To" Book on Alternative Local Development and Democracy in America, April 13, 2007

By 

Donald M. Nonini "Don Nonini" (Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Making a Place for Community: Local Democracy in a Global Era (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book that traces out the organic, deep connection between local democracy and its economic underpinnings, which are under threat by neoliberal globalization, corporate relocation, and urban sprawl. Beyond the critique, however, it sets out the alternative institutional possibilities in a wide-ranging survey of production cooperatives, ESOPs, publicly-owned (and profitable) businesses, community-supported agriculture, and other sustainable alternatives that work.

My only caveat is that the book is at times dryly written, like a survey. A few more judiciously chosen, in-depth case studies of the most successful alternatives would go a long way to making it more readable and digestable for, say, university undergraduates (whom I have used it with in my teaching). That said, the book does such a superb treatment of a topic great in scale with many alternatives that need to be set out -- which this does so very well -- that the book is a real "keeper" and user in classes -- WHEN supplemented by more lively case studies and related readings. One book can't do everything for everybody -- but this one lays out the fundamental agenda for connecting local democracy to sustainable economics and ecologies. In that sense, it's a tour-de-force.