Thomas J. Vicino

The New Metropolitan Reality in the US: Rethinking the Traditional Model:

This paper critically evaluates the traditional metropolitan model of an urban core and a homogeneous suburban ring. Using place data from the US Bureau of the Census from 1980 to 2000, it examines 1639 suburbs from a sample of 13 metropolitan areas in the US. Poor, manufacturing, Black and immigrant suburbs are identified to show that metropolitan areas are less a simple dichotomous structure and more a mosaic of very diverse suburban places. The results suggest the need for more subtle frameworks in order better to understand the structure of contemporary metropolitan areas.

The Fate of Inner Suburbs: Evidence from Metropolitan Baltimore

This paper analyzes the transformation of Baltimores inner suburbs from 1980 to 2000. After developing a geographic definition of inner suburbs, we then spatially analyze them using census place-level data. The analysis shows evidence of socioeconomic decline in Baltimores inner suburbs, but the extent of this decline varies among these suburbs. Since 1980, many declining inner suburbs had difficulty attracting new residents, White flight was the prevailing trend, and the housing stock was outdated relative to the outer suburbs. The analysis suggests three major influences on decline among the inner suburbs of Baltimore: labor market restructuring, the nature of the local housing market, and income and racial segregation. This paper concludes with a classification of Baltimores inner suburbs based on our understanding of the processes of suburban decline in the region.

The Spatial Transformation of First-Tier Suburbs, 1970 to 2000: The Case of Metropolitan Baltimore

Abstract The evolution of first‐tier suburbs has emerged as an important topic of scholarly and popular attention in the past decade, yet little is known about the diversity of neighborhood spatial structure. This article analyzes data on 152 census tracts in 21 first‐tier suburban census designated places in metropolitan Baltimore. A total of 49 socioeconomic variables are used to measure the population, income dynamics, nature of the housing, and structure of the labor force. The analysis provides evidence of spatial restructuring in 1970 and 2000. The racial composition, socioeconomic status, occupation, and nature of the housing stock differentiate the spatial structure of Baltimores first‐tier suburban neighborhoods from one another over time. A typology of five neighborhoods in 1970 and six in 2000 is derived from a partitional clustering procedure that groups principal components analysis scores. The policy implications of suburban diversity and decline are discussed.

The Quest to Confront Suburban Decline Political Realities and Lessons

The social and economic decline of first-tier suburbs has emerged as an important issue in metropolitan America, yet little is known about the political and policy responses to this problem. An analysis of Baltimore County demonstrates that the local government was able to implement revitalization projects from 1995 to 2005 since it had jurisdiction over its first-tier suburbs. Characteristics such as a large population in both first-tier and outer suburbs, an affluent tax base, and the lack of municipalities allowed Baltimore County to redistribute funds for these projects. I argue that if policymakers and planners are serious about confronting suburban decline, then either a regional growth boundary or a regional zoning tool is necessary to slow the pressures of urban decentralization. The political realities suggest that the will to maintain local autonomy is stronger than the will to eliminate the real barriers to revitalizing first-tier suburbs.

A Typology of Urban Immigrant Neighborhoods

Using census data from 2000, the authors examine differentiation among urban immigrant neighborhoods in a sample of U.S. metropolitan areas. They use principal components analysis (PCA) followed by cluster analysis to identify four types of urban immigrant neighborhoods: Hispanic, White Working Class, Asian, and Gentrified. This typology describes the diversity of immigrant populations and immigrant neighborhoods across the urban U.S.

Waterfront politics: revisiting the case of Camden, New Jersey's redevelopment

The public policy responses to the enduring socioeconomic struggles of the urban core have dominated public discourse in postwar cities in the United States. Policy-makers have pursued numerous strategies to respond to the conditions of decline. Waterfront redevelopment is one of most common strategies to address these issues, although the benefits rarely extend beyond the core. In a case study of waterfront redevelopment in Camden, New Jersey, we analyze the politics of a project to demolish the Riverfront State Prison to capitalize on the city’s waterfront. Drawing on archival research and key informant interviews, we argue that the project failed because the problem definitions created by the political actors were misaligned with the community’s needs. We conclude by reflecting on policy impactions and questions on urban sustainability.

The politics of contested urban space: The 2013 protest movement in Brazil

ABSTRACT In June 2013, Brazil witnessed one of its largest protest movements in history when more than 1 million Brazilians marched on city streets to demand improvements to urban life. As the epicenters of protests, cities have become an important location for examining the demands, politics, and social change strategies of contemporary citizenship. In this article, we analyze the evolution of Brazil’s protest movement. Based on participant observation, archival research, secondary data, and thick description, we conduct a historical event analysis. By examining the narratives, practices, and forms that emerged in Brazil’s 2013 protests, we argue that contemporary urban citizenship is transformed in important ways in response to both global and local changes. Policymakers and planners need to be prepared to deal with the realities of urbanization, and we offer perspectives on how citizenship can better accommodate new growth and societal changes.

Navigating the Multiple Roles of the MPA Director: Perspectives and Lessons

Abstract This article explores how the changing landscape of higher education affects the roles that a director of a Master of Public Administration (MPA) program plays in leading and managing academic programs. I offer a new perspective on the dominant business model of higher education and its impacts on the multiple roles of the MPA director. I argue that institutions of higher education must adopt a new model that responds to changing societal landscape and needs. As institutions seek to adapt to these changes, the MPA director is asked to play a variety of roles vis-à-vis many stakeholders. I present a typology of these roles: (1) the manager, (2) the advocate, (3) the liaison, and (4) the entrepreneur. I review characteristics of these roles and provide illustrative examples by drawing on the experiential education model pioneered at Northeastern University.

The new Bostonians: how immigrants have transformed the metro region since the 1960s

tific faults, but rather as critical reflections on very well written, interesting and thought provoking work. “Affectivity and Race: Studies from Nordic Contexts” is certainly a valuable book, filling a very needed gap in studies on race and racialization in the Nordic contexts. It should spark the interest of scholars and students aiming to strengthen their understandings of processes through which racialized meanings are affectively produced and experienced.

Henry Ford’s plan for the American suburb: Dearborn and Detroit

poor side. Each of these individuals/families was forced to leave their homes, with ramifications on their own personal experience as well as the community. When a borrower loses a house, the house loses a caretaker, the neighbours lose a neighbour and the community loses a member. Statistical impacts were quite limited, with the dispossessed moving to extended-stay motels, moving in with parents or staying at friends, thus adding to the ranks of the ‘hidden homelessness’, who are often not picked up in official statistics. Some rented properties and some bought new properties, but these were predominantly still nearby, in the suburbs, with commuting times not significantly affected. Whilst these impacts were not very notable at the statistical level, Martin and Neidt make it clear that they were felt at the personal level. The book explores homeownership as the bedrock of freedom and responsible citizenship, central to ideas about domestic life and raising children. It draws attention to the plight of a significant number of families, betrayed by a brittle and poorly regulated system, which inevitably buckled. This is an interesting and well-paced book that emphasises the need for robust policy and reminds us that behind every statistical digit, there is a life off course and in need of help.