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The City as a Growth Machine: Toward a Political Economy of Place

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A city and, more generally, any locality, is conceived as the areal expression of the interests of some land-based elite. Such an elite is seen to profit through the increasing intensification of the land use of the area in which its members hold a common interest. Harvey Moltoch discusses the relevance of growth to the interests of various social groups.

Image courtesy of interviewee. August 20, 2024

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This video is a transcription of a discussion regarding the concept of the city as a "growth machine," featuring an interview with Professor Harvey. The conversation explores how cities are managed and the various factors influencing urban development, particularly focusing on land use, wealth distribution, and environmental concerns. Professor Harvey explains that wealth is primarily determined by real estate ownership, which significantly impacts people's lives and their stake in urban governance.

He contrasts his views with traditional literature, emphasizing that cities are not just governed by elected officials or elite institutions; rather, the diverse interests of city inhabitants—based on land ownership and residency—shape political dynamics. He discusses how these interests can lead to both competition and cooperation among different stakeholders, influencing political movements and community organization.

The interview touches on the costs of urban growth, including environmental impacts and the social implications of unemployment. Professor Harvey highlights that job creation in urban projects often centers around redistributing existing employment opportunities rather than generating new ones.

In summary, the key takeaway from the discussion is that urban growth is a crucial driver of political decision-making, and it must be considered alongside various demographic factors to understand city development comprehensively.

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X-TIMESTAMP-MAP:LOCAL=00:00:00.000,MPEGTS=900000

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There's been, much discussion in

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many countries including, the United States, the uk,

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Germany, all over, of

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how cities get, managed.

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What are the driving forces behind their decision making?

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How does it affect, in particular land use,

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that being related to, for, for things like,

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transportation efficiency,

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but also, environmental, problems,

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increasingly environmental threat, environmental disaster.

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So, how cities develop cities

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and suburbs,

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and the spaces in between how they develop becomes,

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an extremely interesting,

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and important, question with consequences.

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And, I, I was trying to address,

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all of that.

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Um, the, the other important thing

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that people have been concerned about

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who study cities is wealth and its distribution.

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We now know that in many countries,

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including the United States, the primary determinant of,

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of people's level of living,

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is their wealth, not just their income.

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And wealth is carried by real estate, including

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that you, your family, inadvertently,

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purchased at some long, long ago point

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that is now the capacity to live your life

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and your children's life.

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So to try to understand these decisions,

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and these processes has a lot of consequence.

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And that's what I was, trying

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to investigate the traditional literature,

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that w traditional when I entered the scene, which is now

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many, many, several generations back,

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was in effort to answer the question of who,

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who rules the city, who, who runs things.

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Uh, one simple answer.

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It's, the people who get, elected,

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to high office like the mayor,

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the prestigious figures, the important institutions,

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like the universities, or clubs

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and, that, so that's one, group of,

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ways of answering the question

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and many, many researchers, dedicated themselves

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to pursuing, those phenomenon.

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Um, what do I think?

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I think that, cities are,

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based in land,

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and that makes them unusual as commodities,

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and that then is

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where I start differing from the prior analysts, which is

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that cities are not just, Protestants and Catholics,

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or, people who,

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believe the city should be large

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or small, that, that they have stakes

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in the city, that e virtually everyone

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has a stake in the city.

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Um, but many people own a piece of the city.

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And, that pattern of vested interest,

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partly based on ownership, partly based on looking

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for a nice day, but the stakes vary, bet among people,

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and that forms the basis

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of the important politics of the area.

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It, it is both. Um,

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and, some of the stakes are pretty fixed.

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Um, so for, for example, if you

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or your family have, either as speculators

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or, as buyers to, live in a particular resident,

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residents, once you place your bets,

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they're hard to un place,

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because those, bets have durability.

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And, and we all know that you don't lightly give up your

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house, and it's a very expensive transaction ju

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to sell a property, commercially, industrial

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or whatever, compared to, for example, buying a, a car,

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or, or making something in, in a factory,

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one kind of gizmo as opposed to a different kind of gizmo.

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Uh, when you invest in real estate, very often

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you're carrying with it your entire lifestyle,

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not just your financial investment,

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but how close are you to your workplace?

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How close are your kids to their school,

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to your parents.

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All kinds of things are going on.

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And so the placements are durable

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and give you a stake in the future of that

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particular land parcel and the area surrounding it.

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You ask about what, how people

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have a common interest or not common.

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When you place your stakes, you are also,

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excuse me, placing your alliance

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with other people who have similar stakes.

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And that is another kind of community of interests,

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which then can easily,

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and I think does translate,

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into common pursuit of common interests,

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including the political, arena

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and who is going to be the mayor,

06:00.705 --> 06:03.245
and who are going to be the powerful figures.

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It motivates certain people to play a strong role,

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a, a, a, a stronger role than the otherwise would

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and stronger role than other people.

06:15.705 --> 06:20.365
So for most people, citizens, residents,

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it's it just day-to-day life.

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Um, and the city is a setting,

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but not, something which they act on as a force.

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It's just where they raise their children, make their,

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job, it's a background setting,

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but for some people it's more than a setting

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because it, is determinative of their,

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of, of their lives.

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And to some degree, at least they understand that, that way

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for some people, like, a real estate,

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speculator, there's no subtlety really about it.

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They are overwhelmingly dedicated to the commercial

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capacities of that land parcel and, and that,

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and the surrounding parcels.

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And so people of, of the same flavor, birds of a feather

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flock together and become a common interest.

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They create, they unite, over particular issues

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like whether or not, for example, the highway,

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w the highways will cross right where I own property,

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which will make the value of that property, far greater,

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or will there be, a, something

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that will detract, a factory of some sort

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that will create bad odors

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or a certain population that is believed to denigrate,

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the area IE for example, the poor or the homeless.

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So you act with people

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who have a similar interest,

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and you become something like a political movement

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or a civic organization with a common interest that,

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and you act together on your common behalf.

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Let's take the question of growth costs.

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Um, the, the costs are of, of, of, of,

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of a number of sorts.

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One is we're becoming increasingly aware

08:33.225 --> 08:37.885
the environmental costs, if you, and it,

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and it's everything from, creating safety problems

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because of too much traffic or unregulated, traffic.

08:48.425 --> 08:50.645
Um, and that becomes a cost.

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Increasingly, we're realizing, of course, that

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The costs Accumulate in terms of things like air

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Quality, And it

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Is, Very important to keep

09:03.375 --> 09:06.245
Track, Um, of what's going on.

09:06.385 --> 09:07.845
And when I began my work,

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Really No one was keeping track. And so

09:12.145 --> 09:14.125
You would just, Um, approve

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Projects Or plan projects designed in projects

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With hardly A notion of, for example, what

09:21.845 --> 09:25.685
Would that do to air quality or, or waterways

09:26.065 --> 09:30.725
or access to public resources, like, like the beach.

09:31.625 --> 09:33.845
Um, the, the, the

09:33.845 --> 09:36.405
Whole thing was being driven To

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A, by a remarkable degree, By the capacity

09:39.385 --> 09:41.765
To make money off of land

09:41.945 --> 09:45.445
and the environment, the whole, the environmental movement

09:46.105 --> 09:48.445
Has been dedicated to

09:49.325 --> 09:50.605
Flipping that and

09:50.825 --> 09:55.085
or at least making the other things count for something

09:55.505 --> 09:58.565
and get added into the agenda. And for me,

09:59.365 --> 10:00.365
A whole lot of what

10:00.425 --> 10:03.765
Has been the environmental movement has been, has been

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to balance out the commercial interests

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With Civic interests.

10:09.175 --> 10:11.485
There has been an a tendency,

10:12.185 --> 10:14.605
Uh, for Coalitions, well, it's

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Always about coalitions,

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Um, and how you can get a coalition going in your

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direction as opposed to another. One of the basis

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For Coalition on behalf of growth

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And Development and particular

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Projects is that there Will be

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Employees, people will get jobs if we build this factory.

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So let's build the factory,

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or whatever else it might be.

10:39.945 --> 10:41.845
Uh, I have

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Two responses, numbers of responses. One is,

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Uh, are The detrimental effects right on their face

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That At least need to be balanced

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With the jobs that,

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For example, are going to, to come your way?

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But the other is That much of

10:59.185 --> 11:02.925
The, the job growth, it's about distributing the jobs.

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It's not about whether or not there

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Will be jobs.

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And so next year, Uh, there will be,

11:10.705 --> 11:12.685
Um, a certain number of automobiles,

11:13.065 --> 11:16.125
Uh, that are Produced in Britain or the United States,

11:16.865 --> 11:18.045
and whether

11:18.235 --> 11:23.085
They Happen in at one specific location versus another,

11:23.815 --> 11:25.925
Won't affect The number of

11:25.995 --> 11:28.125
Cars That will be made. And so

11:28.715 --> 11:31.805
What is Actually going on in these fights and quarrels

11:32.145 --> 11:35.085
and coalitions in com, competition with one another

11:35.625 --> 11:38.725
Is about which places will get

11:38.745 --> 11:41.085
The automobile plant Or will get

11:41.085 --> 11:44.245
The university campus, Which is also

11:44.665 --> 11:47.245
An employer and helps stimulate jobs,

11:47.905 --> 11:50.925
Uh, or The television station if, if

11:50.925 --> 11:52.205
There Are such things anymore.

11:52.785 --> 11:57.445
Uh, th those are, it's the,

11:58.115 --> 12:01.525
it's about distributing those jobs, not about

12:02.525 --> 12:04.725
creating them, or losing them.

12:05.065 --> 12:09.645
The, primary argument of the city as a growth machine is

12:09.645 --> 12:12.925
that growth is the dynamic.

12:14.025 --> 12:18.805
So we have to add growth to things like ethnicity

12:19.145 --> 12:23.845
or religion or values, and,

12:24.065 --> 12:27.045
and see, the development of cities

12:27.265 --> 12:30.125
as driving the political apparatus.

"Understanding Urban Development: Wealth, Governance, and Stakeholder Interests"

00:00:00 - There's been, much discussion in many countries including, the United States, the uk, Germany, all over, of how cities get, managed. What are the driving forces behind their decision making? How does it affect, in particular land use, that being related to, for, for things like, transportation efficiency, but also, environmental, problems, increasingly environmental threat, environmental disaster. So, how cities develop cities
00:00:41 - and the spaces in between how they develop becomes, an extremely interesting, and important, question with consequences. And, I, I was trying to address, all of that. the, the other important thing that people have been concerned about who study cities is wealth and its distribution. We now know that in many countries, including the United States, the primary determinant of, of people's level of living, is their wealth, not just their income.
00:01:26 - that you, your family, inadvertently, purchased at some long, long ago point that is now the capacity to live your life and your children's life. So to try to understand these decisions, and these processes has a lot of consequence. And that's what I was, trying to investigate the traditional literature, that w traditional when I entered the scene, which is now many, many, several generations back,
00:02:07 - who rules the city, who, who runs things. one simple answer. It's, the people who get, elected, to high office like the mayor, the prestigious figures, the important institutions, like the universities, or clubs and, that, so that's one, group of, ways of answering the question and many, many researchers, dedicated themselves to pursuing, those phenomenon. what do I think?
00:02:50 - based in land, and that makes them unusual as commodities, and that then is where I start differing from the prior analysts, which is that cities are not just, Protestants and Catholics, or, people who, believe the city should be large or small, that, that they have stakes in the city, that e virtually everyone has a stake in the city. but many people own a piece of the city.
00:03:34 - partly based on ownership, partly based on looking for a nice day, but the stakes vary, bet among people, and that forms the basis of the important politics of the area. It, it is both. and, some of the stakes are pretty fixed. so for, for example, if you or your family have, either as speculators or, as buyers to, live in a particular resident,

"Durable Stakes: The Intersection of Real Estate Investment, Community Interests, and Political Engagement"

00:04:14 - they're hard to un place, because those, bets have durability. And, and we all know that you don't lightly give up your house, and it's a very expensive transaction ju to sell a property, commercially, industrial or whatever, compared to, for example, buying a, a car, or, or making something in, in a factory, one kind of gizmo as opposed to a different kind of gizmo. when you invest in real estate, very often
00:04:53 - not just your financial investment, but how close are you to your workplace? How close are your kids to their school, to your parents. All kinds of things are going on. And so the placements are durable and give you a stake in the future of that particular land parcel and the area surrounding it. You ask about what, how people have a common interest or not common. When you place your stakes, you are also,
00:05:36 - with other people who have similar stakes. And that is another kind of community of interests, which then can easily, and I think does translate, into common pursuit of common interests, including the political, arena and who is going to be the mayor, and who are going to be the powerful figures. It motivates certain people to play a strong role, a, a, a, a stronger role than the otherwise would
00:06:15 - So for most people, citizens, residents, it's it just day-to-day life. and the city is a setting, but not, something which they act on as a force. It's just where they raise their children, make their, job, it's a background setting, but for some people it's more than a setting because it, is determinative of their, of, of their lives.
00:06:58 - for some people, like, a real estate, speculator, there's no subtlety really about it. They are overwhelmingly dedicated to the commercial capacities of that land parcel and, and that, and the surrounding parcels. And so people of, of the same flavor, birds of a feather flock together and become a common interest. They create, they unite, over particular issues like whether or not, for example, the highway,
00:07:41 - which will make the value of that property, far greater, or will there be, a, something that will detract, a factory of some sort that will create bad odors or a certain population that is believed to denigrate, the area IE for example, the poor or the homeless. So you act with people who have a similar interest, and you become something like a political movement or a civic organization with a common interest that,

"Assessing the Costs of Urban Growth: Balancing Environmental and Economic Interests"

00:08:21 - Let's take the question of growth costs. the, the costs are of, of, of, of, of a number of sorts. One is we're becoming increasingly aware the environmental costs, if you, and it, and it's everything from, creating safety problems because of too much traffic or unregulated, traffic. and that becomes a cost. Increasingly, we're realizing, of course, that The costs Accumulate in terms of things like air
00:09:00 - Is, Very important to keep Track, of what's going on. And when I began my work, Really No one was keeping track. And so You would just, approve Projects Or plan projects designed in projects With hardly A notion of, for example, what Would that do to air quality or, or waterways or access to public resources, like, like the beach. the, the, the Whole thing was being driven To A, by a remarkable degree, By the capacity
00:09:41 - and the environment, the whole, the environmental movement Has been dedicated to Flipping that and or at least making the other things count for something and get added into the agenda. And for me, A whole lot of what Has been the environmental movement has been, has been to balance out the commercial interests With Civic interests. There has been an a tendency, for Coalitions, well, it's Always about coalitions, and how you can get a coalition going in your direction as opposed to another. One of the basis
00:10:25 - And Development and particular Projects is that there Will be Employees, people will get jobs if we build this factory. So let's build the factory, or whatever else it might be. I have Two responses, numbers of responses. One is, are The detrimental effects right on their face That At least need to be balanced With the jobs that, For example, are going to, to come your way? But the other is That much of The, the job growth, it's about distributing the jobs.
00:11:05 - Will be jobs. And so next year, there will be, a certain number of automobiles, that are Produced in Britain or the United States, and whether They Happen in at one specific location versus another, Won't affect The number of Cars That will be made. And so What is Actually going on in these fights and quarrels and coalitions in com, competition with one another Is about which places will get The automobile plant Or will get The university campus, Which is also
00:11:47 - or The television station if, if There Are such things anymore. th those are, it's the, it's about distributing those jobs, not about creating them, or losing them. The, primary argument of the city as a growth machine is that growth is the dynamic. So we have to add growth to things like ethnicity or religion or values, and, and see, the development of cities