Disney\u27s Celebration, the Promise of New Urbanism, and the Portents of Homogeneity

Perhaps the most important demographic and social transformation that has occurred in the United States in the past fifty years has been mass suburbanization. As some of the more astute commentators on suburban development have argued, these shifts in population have been accompanied by political and social changes, utterly reconfiguring the nature of civic interaction in the country. Government subsidized loans for white middle-class home buyer transformed the uburban landscape and provided the impetus for the construction of a very different lived environment than had heretofore existed.1 The post-World War II suburb was arranged around the single-family home, transportation by private automobile, a paradigm of mixed zoning that separated residential, occupational, and consumptive spaces, and a general ethos of expansion that has been translated into the derisive moniker of suburban sprawl

The Public Playground Paradox: "Child’s Joy" or Heterotopia of Fear?

Literature depicts children of the Global North withdrawing from public space to“acceptable islands”. Driven by fears both of and for children, the publicplayground – one such island – provides clear-cut distinctions between childhoodand adulthood. Extending this argument, this paper takes the original approach oftheoretically framing the playground as a heterotopia of deviance, examining –for the first time – three Greek public playground sites in relation to adjacentpublic space. Drawing on an ethnographic study in Athens, findings show fear tounderpin surveillance, control and playground boundary porosity. Normativeclassification as “children’s space” discourages adult engagement. However, in anovel and significant finding, a paradoxical phenomenon sees the playground’spresence simultaneously legitimizing playful behaviour in adjacent public spacefor children and adults. Extended playground play creates alternate orderings andnegotiates norms and hierarchies, suggesting significant wider potential toreconceptualise playground-urban design for an intergenerational public realm

Bike share and user motivation: exploring trip substitution choices among bike share users in a North American city

Bicycle share schemes have been implemented in scores of cities throughout the world over the last decade. Policy makers have embraced the technology of bike sharing to address a number of public policy problems, including congestion mitigation, improving air quality, and encouraging active mobility. While many of these systems have seen large numbers of users, understanding the motivations and perceptions of those using bike share systems is still relatively nascent. This study contributes to the evolving literature of bike share user motivation by using an intercept survey of bike share riders in a neighborhood of Chicago, USA where high levels of bike share usage have been prevalent. In particular this research explores the relationship between respondents’ motivations to use bike share and modal shift. We find that the odds of shifting from walking to bike share are predicted by a desire for convenience; the odds of shifting from automobiles to bike share are predicted by the desire for exercise and the cost savings of bike share; and the odds of shifting from train use to bike share are predicted by bike share cost savings. The findings from this research can help policymakers anticipate the impacts on modal shift from the perspective of the motivations of users

Reinventing the railroad suburb: community conflict in the new suburbia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which suburban governments contend with market and citizen pressures to influence land use policy. Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilizes a comparative case study approach by analyzing primary documents and conducting open-ended interviews. Findings – It can be argued that the historical context of suburban development, the cultural conceptions of suburbia, and the extent of civil society's participation in decision making are important factors in understanding how suburbs are dealing with growth challenges. Practical implications – The cases studied here likely have attributes that are typical of other suburbs in North America. Originality/value – The paper emphasizes the importance of cultural conceptions of the landscape in influencing stakeholder attitudes – an element often neglected in public policy analysis.Citizen participation, National culture, Public policy, United States of America, Urban areas

Suburban Sprawl and Smart Growth in the West

Population growth and industrial development have put the wide-open spaces and natural resources that define the West under immense stress. Vested interests clash and come to terms over embattled resources such as water, minerals, and even open space. The federal government controls 40 to 80 percent of the land base in many western states; its sway over the futures of the West\u27s communities and environment has prompted the development of unique policies and politics in the West. Zachary A. Smith and John C. Freemuth bring together a roster of top scholars to explicate the issues noted above as well as other key questions in this new edition of Environmental Politics and Policy in the West,which was first published in 1993. This thoroughly revised and updated edition offers a comprehensive and current survey. Contributors address the policy process as it affects western states, how bureaucracy and politics shape environmental dialogues in the West, how western states innovate environmental policies independently of Washington, and how and when science is involved (or ignored) in management of the West\u27s federal lands. Experts in individual resource areas explore multifaceted issues such as the politics of dam removal and restoration, wildlife resource concerns, suburban sprawl and smart growth, the management of hard-rock mining, and the allocation of the West\u27s tightly limited water resources. Contributors include: Leslie R. Alm, Carolyn D. Baber, Walter F. Baber, Robert V. Bartlett, Hugh Bartling, Matthew A. Cahn, R. McGreggor Cawley, Charles Davis, Sandra Davis, John C. Freemuth, Sheldon Kamieniecki, Matt Lindstrom, William R. Mangun, Denise McCain-Tharnstrom, Daniel McCool, Jaina L. Moan, and Zachary A. Smith

Bringing The Spatial In: The Case Of The 2002 Seattle Monorail Referendum

Contests over public goods remain at the forefront of urban political battles in nearly every major city in the United States. The spatial location of the good can play an instrumental role in understanding the contours and outcomes of such conflicts. The authors explore a particular case - voting for a growth-related development project, the monorail, by referendum in the city of Seattle - and examine how a grassroots campaign successfully mobilized voters by targeting both their particularistic and collective interests. The authors conduct analysis at the precinct level and use spatial tools of analysis and ecological inference, finding that voter support for the monorail stemmed from the location of the proposed route and the campaign\u27s progressive appeals to environmental, social justice, and high tech concerns. Although cost overruns ultimately derailed construction of the monorail in 2005, when passed in 2002, the monorail was the most expensive infrastructure project in Seattle\u27s history

Suburban Sprawl: Culture, Theory and Politics

A comprehensive, multi-disciplinary analysis of suburban sprawl development and smart growth alternatives within the contexts of culture, ecology, and politics. It offers a mix of theoretical inquiry, historical analysis, policy critique, and case studies, written by academics and practitioners from around the world. In addition, each chapter is coupled with featured interviews with leading activists and policymakers working on sprawl issues.https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/polsci_books/1005/thumbnail.jp