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The Adapted City: Institutional Dynamics and Structural Change
Selected Contents: 1. Introduction2. Theories of Institutional Dynamics3. Political and Administrative Cities4. The Evolution of Political Cities5. The Evolution of Administrative Cities6. The Evolution of the Model City Charter7. The Discovery of Adapted Cities8. Probing the Complexities of Adapted Cities9. The Conciliated City10. Conclusions
216 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 12, 2017
I first read this book about five months ago but forgot to write a review on it. I first read about it on the listserve of MASC. A colleague of mine had gotten a copy...I ordered thru the Leominster Public Library ....You can buy online. To me it is a primer on City Government that any interested in the dynamics of governance should read and keep it within reach. Strong mayors...weak mayors....city managers....charters....how it all began....historical perspectives....Its all there. Its a small book but with a ton of info.....I wish there was way to convince people to get this book..It is eye-opening and very instructive.
February 22, 2021
Updated to say: my daughter picked this book for me to read.
A succinct presentation of a large amount of data related to the structural and political dynamics of American cities. Mostly descriptive, the authors also end up creating a new classification of city that blends two opposite logical theories of democracy. The two theories in question, which the book spends a large amount of time describing, are the mayor-council structure, which involves separation of powers and quick political maneuverability, and council-manager, which emphasizes administrative efficiency and transparency. The authors do a good job of presenting their data and new classification, the conciliated city, in a simple and straightforward manner.
Reading this did open up a lot of questions related to the development of these types of institutional structures, and how they were implemented by the voters of the cities. There seem to be some truly sordid histories that this book could only make short allusions to that seemed really interesting. It also led me to question just how much reform in American cities propped up white supremacy and the disenfranchisement of minority communities. Obviously, the answer to those questions were not in the scope of this book, but they were part of my reading experience.
A succinct presentation of a large amount of data related to the structural and political dynamics of American cities. Mostly descriptive, the authors also end up creating a new classification of city that blends two opposite logical theories of democracy. The two theories in question, which the book spends a large amount of time describing, are the mayor-council structure, which involves separation of powers and quick political maneuverability, and council-manager, which emphasizes administrative efficiency and transparency. The authors do a good job of presenting their data and new classification, the conciliated city, in a simple and straightforward manner.
Reading this did open up a lot of questions related to the development of these types of institutional structures, and how they were implemented by the voters of the cities. There seem to be some truly sordid histories that this book could only make short allusions to that seemed really interesting. It also led me to question just how much reform in American cities propped up white supremacy and the disenfranchisement of minority communities. Obviously, the answer to those questions were not in the scope of this book, but they were part of my reading experience.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews