Planning Local Economic Development: Theory and Practice [Paperback]

Edward J. Blakely (Author), Nancey Green Leigh (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1412960932 | ISBN-13: 978-1412960939 | Publication Date: July 16, 2009 | Edition: Fourth Edition

Since the appearance of the first edition in 1990, Planning Local Economic Development has been the foundation for an entire generation of practitioners and academics working in planning and policy development. Written by authors with years of academic, regional, and city planning experience, the book has been used widely in graduate economic development, urban studies, nonprofit management, and public administration courses.

Now thoroughly updated for the challenges of the 21st century and with new coverage of sustainability, the Fourth Edition explores the theories of local economic development while addressing the issues and opportunities faced by cities, towns, and local entities to craft their economic destinies within the global economy. Authors Edward J. Blakely and Nancey Green Leigh provide a thoroughly up-to-date exploration of planning processes, analytical techniques, and locality, business, and human resource development, as well as high technology and sustainable economic development strategies.

New to This Edition

• Incorporates sustainability into the definition and practice of local economic development
• Offers new case studies, illustrations, and exercises
• Takes a fresh look at the state of the economic development profession
• Addresses local economic development planning’s response to a climate-challenged world

Planning Local Economic Development, Fourth Edition, is ideal for graduate courses in Economic Development, Urban Studies, Nonprofit Management, Economics/Public Finance, and Public Administration. Economic development specialists in local and municipal government in the United States and internationally, as well as nonprofit organizations, will also find this an essential reference.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Edward J. Blakely is Professor of Urban Policy in the United States Study Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia. He has held academic positions in teaching, research, academic administration, and economic development policy for more than 30 years, including Dean of the Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy and Dean of the University of Southern California School of Policy, Planning, and Development. He is a leading scholar and practitioner in the fields of planning and local economic development. Dr. Blakely served as a policy adviser to the mayor of Oakland and adviser to the Los Angeles Public School District. He was appointed by President Clinton as Vice Chair of the Presidio Trust, where he played a key role in the development of the former army base into a profitable civic facility. He has served on the Board of Directors of the American Planning Association, the Nature Conservancy, and Fulbright Association. In January 2007, Dr. Blakely was appointed by the Mayor of New Orleans to head the recovery effort following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Nancey Green Leigh is Professor specializing in economic development planning in the City and Regional Planning Program, College of Architecture, at Georgia Institute of Technology.  She obtained her B.A. in urban studies and a master's in regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a master's in economics and a Ph.D. in city and regional planning from the University of California at Berkeley.  She is a former Woodrow Wilson Fellow and Regents Fellow of the University of California at Berkeley and past Vice President of the Association of The Collegiate Schools of Planning.  She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.  Leigh teaches, conducts research, and publishes in the areas of local economic development planning, urban and regional development, industrial restructuring, and brownfield redevelopment.  She is the author of Stemming Middle Class Decline: The Challenge to Economic Development Planning, and coauthor (with Joan Fitzgerald) of Economic Revitalization: Cases and Strategies for City and Suburb. Some of the journals she has published in are Economic Development Quarterly, The Review of Black Political Economy, Growth and Change, The Journal of Urban Technology, Economic Development Review, Commentary, The Journal of Planning Education and Research, and the Journal of Planning Literature.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc; Fourth Edition edition (July 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1412960932
• ISBN-13: 978-1412960939
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Urban Planning & Development

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup of Planning!, December 9, 2009

By 

Sean Dunn "Sean Dunn" (Atlanta, GA. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Planning Local Economic Development: Theory and Practice (Paperback)

With relevant real-world examples and references to political and economic climates that are as recent as the Obama administration, Planning Local Economic Development is a textbook with personality and purpose. It sets the background, explaining that the proactive, multidisciplinary, and bottom-up approach taken by local economic development encourages communities to participate in the shaping and strengthening of their economy. Throughout the book, the authors cover a very broad range of topics, yet they still manage to get to the heart of each subject with relevant case studies and analysis. The book may be difficult for readers without a background in urban planning, but it is certainly not required. Primarily used to teach economic development students and future planners, the information and examples will also be useful for policymakers, community groups, and earlier editions have even been translated for international use.

The authors take widely accepted economic development strategies and deconstruct those strategies down to their core theories for the reader. Most notably, these strategies are then synthesized with the basic principles of sustainability. While traditional economic development strategies focus on job creation by attracting industries, the authors offer a three-part definition of sustainable local economic development as being, "achieved when a community's standard of living can be preserved and increased through a process of human and physical development that is based on principles of equity and sustainability" (p 75). That is to say that this concept of development must establish a minimum and increasing standard of living that reduces inequality and promotes sustainable resource use and production. This is also supportive of the book's assertion that human capital is the new driving force for economic development, and the jobs created from these strategies are superior to competing for an existing industry to relocate.

The book even presents arguments for novel, challenging, and sometimes controversial topics. In the section about planning process, the authors assert that, "Because the expected earnings for the U.S. Workforce will likely never be able to compete with the low wages of international labor markets, this country will best be able to maintain a healthy economy if its current and future workforce has a skills-based competitive advantage"(p 136-7). It is clear that local economic development has only begun to change the way people think about growth and viability, and its role in planning and policy will inevitably become more important in the years to come. If you enjoyed Thomas Friedman's Hot, Flat, and Crowded, you will certainly appreciate the knowledge and perspective that is offered by this text.

5.0 out of 5 stars book order, December 24, 2011

By 

Cheryl A. Douglas - See all my reviews
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