Sean Safford's Page

The flirtation with Richard Florida has to stop. We are worried about our cities, I know. And, in the Obama-era, I know we appreciate empirical evidence. Richard Florida tugs on both of these heart strings. He’s an endorphin producer for nerdy urban planning lovers. But Richard Florida is like intellectual cotton candy. He looks so good, you want to keep going back for more. But in the end, its empty calories. And it will rot your teeth.

Let’s take… Continue

A realignment of America’s economic geography appears to be looming. Detroit’s status as a hub of America’s manufacturing sector will likely come to an end while Washington, DC—the emerging center of our neo-regulatory state—is looking likely to emerge from the economic crisis as a winner. Those are the extremes, perhaps. But the realignment will be widespread and editorials from New York to Peoria have wondered aloud where they are likely to stand once the crisis passes.

Most economists argue… Continue

Hello,

I have written a book that I think will be of interest to folks who read this blog. The title is "Why the Garden Club Couldn't Save Youngstown". Its published by Harvard University Press.

The basic argument of the book is that there is a good deal of variation among cities that experienced the biggest contraction of manufacturing jobs in the 1980s. Some places have done well, others have not. The difference, I argue, has to do with the ability of key leaders to cooperate and act in conc… Continue

"The point of capitalism," Andrew Sullivan writes, "is that actions have consequences. Once that market discipline is removed for a few of the worst, ill-managed, union-crippled companies in America, the stage is set for endless mediocrity, government-run industry (i.e. even more endless mediocrity), and a free-for-all at the government trough... If this intensifies the recession, so be it. Recessions… Continue

Jim Russell responds to my earlier post, pointing out Charlotte, NC as a foil. His post can be found here:

http://burghdiaspora.blogspot.com/2008/09/urban-frontier-hypothesis.html

And, in particular, he pulls out a nice quote from a Time Magazine article on Charlotte's boom:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1844558,00.html

I'm not sure why Charlotte is a foil. In fact, I would say its rise lends credence to my argument. I see Charlotte's success as very similar to some of the… Continue