As the global recession of 2008 and beyond took hold of the American economy, smaller markets were disproportionately affected by job losses as well as the resultant brain drains, tax base reductions, diminished housing values, and diminishment of their overall quality of life. So it is not surprising that these smaller markets face unique challenges during recovery. The Economic Viability of Micropolitan America addresses the economic history and future of small cities and towns across the country, as they have and will continue to see dramatic shifts in the roles they play in the extant larger economies. The book discusses the 300-year history of America’s economic structures in substantial detail and with an eye on the development and growth of, and the changes to, the economic geography of the United States. It explores the fate of the small cities and towns in America, examining how they emerged over time and their economic fate in the future. The author explores what constitutes a small city or town, who lives there, and how they support their families and their communities. He also explores what roles these communities can play in the larger economic picture. Is it possible that small cities and towns can offer enough in the way of assets and amenities to become economic hubs in the future? And if so, will that evolution create such growth that it will override and eliminate the very qualities from which they derived their initial appeal? With nearly seventy case studies and interviews, the book examines the role of business within the future context of community settings. It distills lessons learned into a list of the most prominent and potentially effective tactics for other small cities and towns to emulate as they, too, seek to develop their local economic bases and ensure that their communities can survive and thrive in the twenty-first century.

With reference to India; contributed articles.

Results from Census 2000 have confirmed that American cities and metropolitan areas lie at the heart of the nation's most pronounced demographic and economic changes. The third volume in the Redefining Urban and Suburban America series describes anew the changing shape of metropolitan American and the consequences for policies in areas such as employment, public services, and urban revitalization. The continued decentralization of population and economic activity in most metropolitan areas has transformed once-suburban places into new engines of metropolitan growth. At the same time, some traditional central cities have enjoyed a population renaissance, thanks to a recent book in "living" downtowns. The contributors to this book probe the rise of these new growth centers and their impacts on the metropolitan landscape, including how recent patterns have affected the government's own methods for reporting information on urban, suburban, and rural areas. Volume 3 also provides a closer look at the social and economic impacts of growth patterns in cities and suburbs. Contributors examine how suburbanization has affected access to employment for minorities and lower-income workers, how housing development trends have fueled population declines in some central cities, and how these patterns are shifting the economic balance between older and newer suburbs. Contributors include Thomas Bier (Cleveland State University), Peter Dreier (Occidental College), William Frey (Brookings), Robert Lang (Virginia Tech), Steven Raphael (University of California, Berkeley), Audrey Singer (Brookings), Michael Stoll (University of California, Los Angeles), Todd Swanstrom (St. Louis University), and Jill Wilson (Brookings).

This text provides students of community and economic development with a theoretical and practical introduction to the field. Bringing together leading scholars, it provides both a conceptual background and contemporary approaches, with a progression from theory to practice. Included are case studies and supportive material to develop community service-learning activities.

The intersection of community development, tourism and planning is a fascinating one. Tourism has long been used as a development strategy, in both developed and developing countries, from the national to local levels. These approaches have typically focused on economic dimensions with decisions about tourism investments, policies and venues driven by these economic considerations. More recently, the conversation has shifted to include other aspects – social and environmental – to better reflect sustainable development concepts. Perhaps most importantly is the richer focus on the inclusion of stakeholders. An inclusionary, participatory approach is an essential ingredient of community development and this brings both fields even closer together. It reflects an approach aimed at building on strengths in communities, and fostering social capacity and capital. In this book, the dimensions of the role tourism plays in community development are explored. A panoply of perspectives are presented, tackling such questions as, can tourism heal? How can tourism development serve as a catalyst to overcome social injustices and cultural divides? This book was originally published as a special issue of Community Development.

This book, originally published in 1987, provides an integrative, analytical aproach to rural areas in advanced economies. Causation and the consequences of societal change have been emphasised, in a framework which draws out processes which oeprate at different geographical scales (and with varying intensities across space).