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Reimaging the Pariah city: Urban development in Belfast and Detroit
Book reviews 8. Blum and Leibbrand conclude Part II by developing a typology of barriers from business trip data. Strong barrier effects in the Alps are to be expected but those identified between Germany and its European Union neighbours need explanation. Part III examines policy responses and issues. Banister et al in Chapter 10 consider the role for private sector investment in transport infrastructure in Europe and conclude that joint public/private ventures offer the greatest potential. In the next chapter Andersen examines franchizing alternatives for European transport, focusing on Scandinavia and France. He argues that franchizing allows efficiency gains, flexibility in rolling stock investment and more opportunities for joint ventures than other forms of regulation. Weijers uses evidence from Dutch freight shippers and carriers in Chapter 12 to argue that new approaches are required to regulation, finance and organization to meet European challenges. Quality of service and the use of logistics are the key but Dutch hauliers are judged to have been too conservative. However, a single reference, and that to the author's own work, is insufficient for an academic text. In Chapter 13 Lemberg examines the decision-making processes behind the three Danish Fixed Link Projects linking East and West Denmark (Great Belt), Denmark and Sweden (Sound) and Denmark and Germany (Fehmarn Belt). Vested industrial and trades union interests are judged to have manipulated the debate to secure their preferred outcomes. Lemberg argues that the three fixed links are prestige projects with no clear economic case and assumed development benefits but the research by, for example, Matthiessen and Tornqvist is ignored. Nijkamp and Vleugel attempt in Chapter 14 to identify quantitative criteria for sustainable development. However pollution quota systems are difficult to implement so they suggest using insurance strategies with premiums related to total social costs which are always hotly disputed! In the next chapter Button examines European telecommunications policy with the liberalization and privatization of state owned monopolies. In Chapter 16 Gillespie and Cornford examine arguments for and against telecommunications network diversity and fragmentation. They
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conclude that European regulation is needed to prevent sharp variation in the range and quality of services provided. The editors conclude with three lessons for the f u t u r e - the need for European network planning, coordination between transport and telecommunications policy-makers, and coordination between networks and territorial planning - - and a research agenda for the future. This book clearly identifies the need for a consistent and long-term European strategy for transport and communications infrastructure investment. Concerns about physical capacity and extent of the network are just part of the picture. Other options include demand growth limitation, users paying all externality costs, telecommunications substituting for some travel, greater consideration of environmental and quality of life objectives, new regulatory systems to yield fair competition between and within modes, more use of logistics systems and a greater role for the private sector. With 24 authors and a wide range of themes, the three editors had a daunting task to produce a book that was balanced, well researched and authoritative. Although the quality of the chapters vary and there are some notable gaps in the references, especially from the geographical research literature, the editors are to be congratulated on producing a truly European text with a variety of valuable insights into Europe's transport and communications networks.
Richard Knowles Senior Lecturer and Editor of Journal of Transport Geography' Department of Geography University of Salford Salford M5 4WT, UK
Reimaging the Pariah City: Urban Development in Belfast and Detroit W J V Neill, D Fitzsimmons and B Murtagh
Avebury Aldershot (1995) 237pp One consequence of the privatization and fragmentation of the welfare state in Britain has been, amongst others, the proliferation of private nurseries in towns and cities. A striking feature of many such establishments is their colourful window displays which are intended to attract client interest and
encourage custom by promoting an image suitable to the care of young children. Why is it though, that the window posters and pictures all face out? Those inside must get a very distorted view of the w o r l d - everything being in reverse and very faint colour schemes. That contradiction is explained in part by this book - - not of nurseries but of the relationship between insiders and o u t s i d e r s - - o f which the title and sub-title alone are enough to attract even the most disinterested observer of contemporary policy debates concerning urban affairs. The imagery is ambitious and the comparison of Belfast and Detroit as pariah cities intriguing. Aside from this, however, the book is firmly grounded in a concern with understanding the complex processes and dynamics of urban restructuring, development and redevelopment. In particular it is concerned with the role and effectiveness of the reliance on marketing campaigns within the implementation of broader urban development strategies. The analysis focuses on Detroit and Belfast where "the gap between promoted image and generally received negative urban image to outsiders has been so great that they share a common pariah status" (p xi). This assertion rests on the notion that the dramatic changes associated with industrial, economic and social change in particular cities has led to an interest in reimaging the metropolitan area. But, of course, there is a downside to this approach because "the gap between image and reality is greater, the opportunity costs are higher, the tension between imaging for outsiders and residents is more problematic and the cosmetic aspects are especially striking" (p 231). This itself has been viewed in some instances as a necessary step in the local planning and redevelopment processes associated with the management of change in such areas. The book explores the particular approach of reimaging in the context of two urban areas that have undergone changes over and above industrial restructuring. Indeed, the authors assert that the case studies "are interesting because they form urban crucibles which test the possibilities for resolution of racial and sectarian conflict" (p xii). The book comprises a number of
Book reviews chapters written by the individual authors. There is some overlap and some inconsistency in style and the underlying conceptual assumptions but not to the extent that it detracts from the overall thesis. Chapter 1 sets the context by examining the nature of the relationship between land use planning and promotion of urban areas faced with economic and associated change. It reviews the drive to restructure urban economies by creating new roles in the urban hierarchy for the post-industrial city, the characteristics of urban entrepreneurialism which has emerged and evolved over time and the priority given to culture and city marketing in the attraction of inward investment. Reimaging is more than simple promotion, however, as it involves the creation of a favourable place image and a good business environment. Thus attempts have been made in a number of cities to reconstruct the image of the metropolitan area and target specific types of new activity. Whilst the potential of relying on growth coalitions, flagships and cultural programmes is acknowledged caution is urged in terms of "over-promising and underdelivering" (p 43). A detailed discussion is then devoted to the image (re)making in Belfast and the work of the Lagganside Corporation. This chapter asserts that Belfast represents a distinctive approach to reimaging, involving the promotion of a critical mass of physical redevelopment, flagship and prestige projects and the "toleration and at other times outfight promotion of a market led postmodernist design aesthetic which for all its incongruities carries neutral symbolism intended to create images and spaces which dilute the backward looking symbolism evident in the present" (p 53). This is contrasted in two subsequent chapters which detail the image led economic regeneration strategy in Detroit. Attention is paid to the particular political context of Coleman Young and the reliance on the megaproject and a public sector led growth coalition. This urban focus is placed within a broader regional strategic context which hinges on a new approach to industrial policy although it confirms that even such public sector innovation through coalition building and partnership can be made impotent in the face
of powerful corporate restructuring and decision making. Attention then returns to a discussion of the issues associated with social disadvantage in Belfast and the role of public sector housing policy and housing estates. This reviews and challenges the conventional approaches to poverty and disadvantage based on rehabilitation and regeneration. This together with a detailed consideration of marketing approaches leads to the conclusion and advocacy for detailed strategic planning as a necessary prerequisite to urban regeneration. A thoughtful conclusion sets out the i s s u e s - - i n c l u d i n g social justice and e q u i t y - which must be an integral part of an economic regeneration strategy. The book is recommended as an interesting case study of urban regeneration and marketing initiatives. The comparison between Detroit and Belfast is an interesting one as it highlights the complex processes and linkages that form the backdrop to urban restructuring and the challenge to policy makers. The case for an interventionist approach shines through the accounts of the cities but it is important to distinguish who benefits from such reimaging or as is suggested in the book 'reimagined'. It is also worth reflecting on how quickly the context to policy innovation can change as we consider the very marked changing circumstances that have taken place in both Belfast and Detroit since this book was published.
M G Lloyd Centre for Planning Research School of Town and Regional Planning University of Dundee Dundee, UK
Local Government in Eastern Europe, Establishing Democracy at the Grassroots edited by Andrew Coulson
Edward Elgar Aldershot (1995) 304 pp £49.95 hardback Transformation from Below, Local Power and the Political Economy of Post-Communist Transitions edited by John Gibson and Philip Hanson
Edward Elgar Aldershot (1996) 344 pp £49.95 hardback These two edited volumes on local government in Central and Eastern Europe make a substantial contribution to the small but growing body of literature on Central and Eastern European local government. The volume edited by Coulson, Local Government in Eastern Europe, provides first a series of overviews of local government in Poland, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania and the Russian Federation. The profiles are not very consistent. They vary in size, from five pages on Latvia to 25 on Romania, and thus in quality and detail. Kenneth Davey gives rather straightforward descriptions of local government in the Czech and Slovak Republics, and Hungary. Campbell gives a short description of the situation in Ukraine, a more detailed portrait of the conditions in the Russian Federation, and a much more interesting chapter on Romania, which looks at the structures and functions, and gives down to earth comments of mayors on the unfavourable conditions. Chapters like this one about Romania give clearly more insight into what happens than the at times superficial descriptions of local government elsewhere in the book. The second part of the book takes up five case studies, on a variety of themes. First there is an interesting chapter on Poland, describing the development of the community in a housing estate in Poznan. The next chapter is a good, small Polish case study on attitudes of citizens towards the central and local authority (in terms of 'who has influence' and 'who can be trusted'). Then follows a chapter on local government and economic devel-
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126
conclude that European regulation is needed to prevent sharp variation in the range and quality of services provided. The editors conclude with three lessons for the f u t u r e - the need for European network planning, coordination between transport and telecommunications policy-makers, and coordination between networks and territorial planning - - and a research agenda for the future. This book clearly identifies the need for a consistent and long-term European strategy for transport and communications infrastructure investment. Concerns about physical capacity and extent of the network are just part of the picture. Other options include demand growth limitation, users paying all externality costs, telecommunications substituting for some travel, greater consideration of environmental and quality of life objectives, new regulatory systems to yield fair competition between and within modes, more use of logistics systems and a greater role for the private sector. With 24 authors and a wide range of themes, the three editors had a daunting task to produce a book that was balanced, well researched and authoritative. Although the quality of the chapters vary and there are some notable gaps in the references, especially from the geographical research literature, the editors are to be congratulated on producing a truly European text with a variety of valuable insights into Europe's transport and communications networks.
Richard Knowles Senior Lecturer and Editor of Journal of Transport Geography' Department of Geography University of Salford Salford M5 4WT, UK
Reimaging the Pariah City: Urban Development in Belfast and Detroit W J V Neill, D Fitzsimmons and B Murtagh
Avebury Aldershot (1995) 237pp One consequence of the privatization and fragmentation of the welfare state in Britain has been, amongst others, the proliferation of private nurseries in towns and cities. A striking feature of many such establishments is their colourful window displays which are intended to attract client interest and
encourage custom by promoting an image suitable to the care of young children. Why is it though, that the window posters and pictures all face out? Those inside must get a very distorted view of the w o r l d - everything being in reverse and very faint colour schemes. That contradiction is explained in part by this book - - not of nurseries but of the relationship between insiders and o u t s i d e r s - - o f which the title and sub-title alone are enough to attract even the most disinterested observer of contemporary policy debates concerning urban affairs. The imagery is ambitious and the comparison of Belfast and Detroit as pariah cities intriguing. Aside from this, however, the book is firmly grounded in a concern with understanding the complex processes and dynamics of urban restructuring, development and redevelopment. In particular it is concerned with the role and effectiveness of the reliance on marketing campaigns within the implementation of broader urban development strategies. The analysis focuses on Detroit and Belfast where "the gap between promoted image and generally received negative urban image to outsiders has been so great that they share a common pariah status" (p xi). This assertion rests on the notion that the dramatic changes associated with industrial, economic and social change in particular cities has led to an interest in reimaging the metropolitan area. But, of course, there is a downside to this approach because "the gap between image and reality is greater, the opportunity costs are higher, the tension between imaging for outsiders and residents is more problematic and the cosmetic aspects are especially striking" (p 231). This itself has been viewed in some instances as a necessary step in the local planning and redevelopment processes associated with the management of change in such areas. The book explores the particular approach of reimaging in the context of two urban areas that have undergone changes over and above industrial restructuring. Indeed, the authors assert that the case studies "are interesting because they form urban crucibles which test the possibilities for resolution of racial and sectarian conflict" (p xii). The book comprises a number of
Book reviews chapters written by the individual authors. There is some overlap and some inconsistency in style and the underlying conceptual assumptions but not to the extent that it detracts from the overall thesis. Chapter 1 sets the context by examining the nature of the relationship between land use planning and promotion of urban areas faced with economic and associated change. It reviews the drive to restructure urban economies by creating new roles in the urban hierarchy for the post-industrial city, the characteristics of urban entrepreneurialism which has emerged and evolved over time and the priority given to culture and city marketing in the attraction of inward investment. Reimaging is more than simple promotion, however, as it involves the creation of a favourable place image and a good business environment. Thus attempts have been made in a number of cities to reconstruct the image of the metropolitan area and target specific types of new activity. Whilst the potential of relying on growth coalitions, flagships and cultural programmes is acknowledged caution is urged in terms of "over-promising and underdelivering" (p 43). A detailed discussion is then devoted to the image (re)making in Belfast and the work of the Lagganside Corporation. This chapter asserts that Belfast represents a distinctive approach to reimaging, involving the promotion of a critical mass of physical redevelopment, flagship and prestige projects and the "toleration and at other times outfight promotion of a market led postmodernist design aesthetic which for all its incongruities carries neutral symbolism intended to create images and spaces which dilute the backward looking symbolism evident in the present" (p 53). This is contrasted in two subsequent chapters which detail the image led economic regeneration strategy in Detroit. Attention is paid to the particular political context of Coleman Young and the reliance on the megaproject and a public sector led growth coalition. This urban focus is placed within a broader regional strategic context which hinges on a new approach to industrial policy although it confirms that even such public sector innovation through coalition building and partnership can be made impotent in the face
of powerful corporate restructuring and decision making. Attention then returns to a discussion of the issues associated with social disadvantage in Belfast and the role of public sector housing policy and housing estates. This reviews and challenges the conventional approaches to poverty and disadvantage based on rehabilitation and regeneration. This together with a detailed consideration of marketing approaches leads to the conclusion and advocacy for detailed strategic planning as a necessary prerequisite to urban regeneration. A thoughtful conclusion sets out the i s s u e s - - i n c l u d i n g social justice and e q u i t y - which must be an integral part of an economic regeneration strategy. The book is recommended as an interesting case study of urban regeneration and marketing initiatives. The comparison between Detroit and Belfast is an interesting one as it highlights the complex processes and linkages that form the backdrop to urban restructuring and the challenge to policy makers. The case for an interventionist approach shines through the accounts of the cities but it is important to distinguish who benefits from such reimaging or as is suggested in the book 'reimagined'. It is also worth reflecting on how quickly the context to policy innovation can change as we consider the very marked changing circumstances that have taken place in both Belfast and Detroit since this book was published.
M G Lloyd Centre for Planning Research School of Town and Regional Planning University of Dundee Dundee, UK
Local Government in Eastern Europe, Establishing Democracy at the Grassroots edited by Andrew Coulson
Edward Elgar Aldershot (1995) 304 pp £49.95 hardback Transformation from Below, Local Power and the Political Economy of Post-Communist Transitions edited by John Gibson and Philip Hanson
Edward Elgar Aldershot (1996) 344 pp £49.95 hardback These two edited volumes on local government in Central and Eastern Europe make a substantial contribution to the small but growing body of literature on Central and Eastern European local government. The volume edited by Coulson, Local Government in Eastern Europe, provides first a series of overviews of local government in Poland, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania and the Russian Federation. The profiles are not very consistent. They vary in size, from five pages on Latvia to 25 on Romania, and thus in quality and detail. Kenneth Davey gives rather straightforward descriptions of local government in the Czech and Slovak Republics, and Hungary. Campbell gives a short description of the situation in Ukraine, a more detailed portrait of the conditions in the Russian Federation, and a much more interesting chapter on Romania, which looks at the structures and functions, and gives down to earth comments of mayors on the unfavourable conditions. Chapters like this one about Romania give clearly more insight into what happens than the at times superficial descriptions of local government elsewhere in the book. The second part of the book takes up five case studies, on a variety of themes. First there is an interesting chapter on Poland, describing the development of the community in a housing estate in Poznan. The next chapter is a good, small Polish case study on attitudes of citizens towards the central and local authority (in terms of 'who has influence' and 'who can be trusted'). Then follows a chapter on local government and economic devel-
127