Whose city? : redevelopment and governance in Boston

This thesis explores the challenges and opportunities of the community-based redevelopment model in a neoliberal economic context. Drawing on a review of the history and theories of redevelopment and governance in the United States, it analyzes the particular case of Jackson Square, a community-led redevelopment process in a low-income neighborhood between Roxbury and Jamaica Plain, in Boston. In an area that was razed for the construction of a failed highway project in the late 1960s, a partnership of community development corporations (CDCs) and private developers are struggling to implement a plan that was defined through a public participation process. The Jackson Square case is a paradigmatic example of a highly democratic decision-making process that resulted in a community vision for a distressed area. However, despite ideal community engagement and development by community-based nonprofit organizations, the project is being seriously delayed and downgraded due to an economic recession, while the community is not mobilizing to defend their vision and ask for much-needed public support. Given the structural inequalities engendered by the neoliberal economic system, and the government's retreat from leading the revitalization of distressed neighborhoods, this research questions the present ability of community-led processes to achieve their goals. Through a critical analysis of the role that each group involved is playing, this thesis aims to contribute to the improvement of the community-led redevelopment model in a way that enhances the creation of a more just city.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2011

Author dc:creator

• Molina Costa, Patricia

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Brent D. Ryan.

• Urban Studies and Planning.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/69464

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/69464