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An Ordinary City

Planning for Growth and Decline in New Bedford, Massachusetts

  • Book
  • © 2018

Overview

Authors:
  1. Justin B. Hollander

    1. Tufts University, Boston, USA

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  • Presents a valuable case study to examine the timely topic of urban population decline
  • Contributes to the burgeoning literature on declining cities and depopulation
  • Has global and interdisciplinary appeal, especially in the areas of urban studies, urban planning, public affairs, political science and environmental studies

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xii
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  2. Introduction

    • Justin B. Hollander
    Pages 1-14

  3. Planning for Growth and Decline in America: A Concise History

    • Justin B. Hollander
    Pages 15-38

  4. Theories of Smart Shrinkage and Smart Growth

    • Justin B. Hollander
    Pages 39-61

  5. How Much Change Is Too Much: A Look at the Numbers

    • Justin B. Hollander
    Pages 63-85

  6. The Legacy of Change: Depopulation and Growth’s Impact on New Bedford Today

    • Justin B. Hollander
    Pages 87-99

  7. After the Hurricane: Government Responses to Employment and Population Decline, 1929–1975

    • Justin B. Hollander
    Pages 101-121

  8. Coming to Terms with Change: Contemporary Policy Responses

    • Justin B. Hollander
    Pages 123-149

  9. Urban Absorption

    • Justin B. Hollander
    Pages 151-187

  10. Conclusion

    • Justin B. Hollander
    Pages 189-195

  11. Back Matter

    Pages 197-234
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Keywords

About this book

This book paints an intimate portrait of an overlooked kind of city that neither grows nor declines drastically. In fact, New Bedford, Massachusetts represents an entire category of cities that escape mainstream urban studies’ more customary attention to global cities (New York), booming cities (Atlanta), and shrinking cities (Flint).  New Bedford-style ordinary cities are none of these, they neither grow nor decline drastically, but in their inconspicuousness, they account for a vast majority of all cities. Given the complexities of growth and decline, both temporarily and spatially, how does a city manage change and physically adapt to growth and decline?  This book offers an answer through a detailed analysis of the politics, environment, planning strategies, and history of New Bedford.  



Reviews

“This text balances historical and archival research with interviews and fieldwork in its exploration of three New Bedford neighborhoods. These multiple forms of data enrich the work, offering a comprehensive analysis of the factors that lead to decline and those that helped manage it. … Summing Up: Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty and professionals.” (T. N. Allen, Choice, Vol. 56 (04), December, 2018) “In this thoroughly researched, fluently written, and delightfully illustrated book, Justin Hollander provides a memorable account of the complex history of an ‘ordinary city’—New Bedford, Massachusetts. The term ‘ordinary’ should not mask or downplay the importance of New Bedford as a case study. Through the rich description of the case, Hollander succeeds in asking and answering some of the most important and eternal questions about urban growth and decline. Everyone interested in how cities grow, shrink, and thrive again would benefit from reading this book.” (Sonia A. Hirt, Dean, School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation, University of Maryland, College Park, USA)

“This is an insightful tale of the urban slide from ‘whaling capital of the world’ to an ordinary New England legacy city... Praise for Justin Hollander's take on New Bedford, MA—an extraordinary story of an ordinary city common throughout the American post-industrial North Atlantic and Great Lakes regions.”(Ivonne Audirac, Associate Professor, College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, University of Texas-Arlington, USA, and Co-Chair, Shrinking Cities International Research Network)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Tufts University, Boston, USA

    Justin B. Hollander

About the author

Justin B. Hollander is Associate Professor in the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University, USA. He has written five books and over 50 articles, book chapters, and reports on legacy cities, Big Data, brownfields, and urban design. 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: An Ordinary City

  • Book Subtitle: Planning for Growth and Decline in New Bedford, Massachusetts

  • Authors: Justin B. Hollander

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60705-4

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-60704-7Published: 28 August 2017

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-86916-2Published: 22 June 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-60705-4Published: 08 August 2017

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XII, 234

  • Number of Illustrations: 12 b/w illustrations, 19 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Urban Studies/Sociology, Urban Geography / Urbanism (inc. megacities, cities, towns), Urban Economics

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